Earthly Tension, Book 1: Rebellion
by Baral
Summary: (((ON HIATUS))) A generation has passed since Korra's days, and new problems face the world. The Earth Kingdom is on the verge of civil war, and the balance that every Avatar strives to maintain is threatened from multiple angles. Can the world remain whole and balanced, or will an era of chaos and strife not seen since the 100 Year War engulf the world? Slow at first, gets better.
1. Prologue

Prologue

On the Precipice of Chaos

Over 100 years has passed since Avatar Korra stopped the anti-bending coup in Republic City. This was not the last hardship of her life, but she managed to keep Avatar Aang's dream alive. With her passing, the world was experiencing a period of peace and prosperity - a kind not seen since before the 100 Year War.

However, pass she did. She was reborn into Avatar Keung, whose youth was marked by peace and the ability to learn the elemental bending arts without interruption. Now well into his 20's, the world is only just now beginning to show signs of trouble. Anti-bending sentiments are reaching a height not seen since Korra's youth, the Northern Water Tribe has mostly isolated itself from the rest of the world, the Fire Nation is showing signs of increased militarization, and there are rumblings of discontent in some regions of the Earth Kingdom, threatening to tear it apart.

The Earth Kingdom's government has become increasingly harsh toward its citizens. With increased taxes, soldiers having immunity when it comes to dealing with civilians and a growing prejudice against firebending citizens, the monarchy has pushed a growing number of its people on the verge of full blown rebellion.

Of the areas that made the United Republic, only Republic City has remained completely independent. The others, after falling into infighting, were largely reabsorbed by the Earth Kingdom, with a couple once again becoming Fire Nation colonies. Avatar Korra did her best to stop this, but these events were unstoppable. This led to tension between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, but in the end both accepted things as they are. Republic City is now a city-state.

Technologically speaking, Republic City is the most advanced city in the world. While certain kinds of technology were banned following Amon's botched anti-bending revolution, the creative geniuses of Republic City continued to build up the city's technological wonders. The Fire Nation has followed in Republic City's footsteps, developing technologies of its own, and together the Fire Nation and Republic City constitute the vast majority of technology users in the world. The Earth Kingdom's cities make some use of these advanced technologies, and the Southern Water Tribe has borrowed some technologies to make various aspects of their lives easier.

However, illegal forms of technology - especially those with military applications - are still developed and sometimes exposed within Republic City, and the Fire Nation is not subject to the laws of Republic City.

This story opens in a small village by the Kolau Mountains, not far from where the ancient city of Omashu resides...


	2. Problems and Plans

Chapter 01:

Problems and Plans

"Is everyone here!?"

Zhuang groaned. This was the third time in as many months that Earth Kingdom soldiers had come around Wuhu village, demanding to inspect houses and ask questions. They were after the "Sons of Earth," a rebel group that had cropped up in various parts of the Earth Kingdom in recent years. Running his hand through his short black hair, his auburn colored eyes scanned the village and watched the soldiers.

One soldier stopped in front of him, eyeing him darkly. "What's a Fire Nation brat like you doing here?" Zhuang was used to such treatment, having taken after his mother in looks as well as bending. He was a firebender that had been born and raised in the Earth Kingdom, something that was becoming increasingly common.

Zhuang didn't say anything, and after a minute of muttering and insults the soldier shoved him toward the line being made just outside of town. He complied, as did all the men in the village. Being a small village, there were only about 20 grown men, so the Earth soldiers' job was done with. The women and children were lined up on the opposite side of town, and a few soldiers proceeded to get on with searching houses.

He found himself standing next to his best friend, Tu. Though not actually brothers, they have been raised as such since Tu's parents died almost 10 years ago. "How many benders do you count in this group?" Tu asked when Zhuang got in line.

"Two, based the uniforms," Zhuang replied, referring to the yellow half star on the soldier's shirts. "But I think there are more in standard uniform."

"What makes you think that?"

"The way some of the other soldiers move." Zhuang would have said more, but a soldier was calling for everyone to stop whispering among each other.

Tu wiped his forehead, moving his brown hair out of the way of his dark green eyes. Sweat beaded his pale skin, much like everyone else being forced to stand around under the beating son. "Why do they have to do this in the middle of the day?" Tu muttered.

"At least you're dressed to be out here," Zhuang replied, referring to the work clothes they were both wearing: a simple set of brown pants and a brown shirt.

"Listen up!" This snapped both of their attention back to the captain, dressed in a more modern uniform than the rest. Zhuang always found it odd that the military in some districts were changing over to sharp looking uniforms without armor while others continued to wear the traditional armor that wouldn't have looked out of place during the 100 year war. The captain aired out his shirt again before continuing.

"I would go through the whole speech and give you all the reasons you should turn in any rebels you find, but according to our records you have already heard it a dozen times, so I'll just cut to the chase," he began, earning a sigh of relief from the men he was speaking to. Generally, they'd be kept out there for over an hour. "We have reason to believe that one of the nearby villages serves as a base of operations for the Sons of Earth. In response to this, Omashu is sending a lot of troops out into these rural parts to increase patrols. Since we don't have the room in our regional barracks for this increase in our numbers, families will have to house our soldiers if and when they come to this village for the night."

This earned some dark mutterings from the crowd. "This is outrageous!" someone shouted. Zhuang recognized that as his father's voice. Tu looked like he was ready to attack the captain.

"I understand that this is not desirable," the captain went on. "However, for the sake of the Earth Kingdom, you must put up with this. Once we root out these traitors, things will return to normal." That signaled the end of his speech. With the soldiers finishing up rummaging through the villagers' meager possessions, everyone would soon be able to go about their day as normal - in less than 20 minutes.

* * *

That night, Tu was fuming. "Who do they think they are!?" he demanded to his adopted family, while spooning some of his soup into his mouth.

The family was sitting around a small wooden table. Their father and mother was sitting at one end, and on each side sat either Zhuang or Tu. Their mother had all the elegance of a Fire Nation noble, and the looks to match. Her features bespoke of her pure blood, with pronounced cheekbones, black eyes and hair, pale skin, and a delicately small nose. In sharp contrast to her, their father had a decent tan, short messy brown hair, and bright green eyes. His cheekbones, like those of his countrymen, were definitely not pronounced. Zhuang favored his mother strongly, while Tu, despite not being a biological son, looked a lot like the older man sitting at the table.

"Direct representers of the Earth King, probably," Zhuang's father answered. "This only shows that the government is starting to take our group seriously."

Zhuang nodded. "This is going to make things more difficult, though. How are we going to get our messages to Omashu now, Dad?"

There was a moment of silence there. They would have continued the discussion, but then Chun, Zhuang's little sister, opened the front door. "I'm baaack."

"Welcome home, dear," her mother responded. "How was dinner at Chang's?"

"Good. Her parents wouldn't let me stay the night, though," he answered, pouting a little bit. "They seemed mad for some reason." She looked at Tu. "Like him. Is it because of the soldiers?"

"Yeah," Tu answered sourly.

The family discussion for the rest of the meal centered on more safe topics, such as the state of the village's farm. Tu was slowly calming down throughout the meal, while Zhuang was unusually quiet, thinking about how they were going to continue on. _Yes, our reach has grown over the last few years, but we don't yet have the strength to challenge them directly. No matter how you look at it, this is going to severely put a strangle on our communications..._

"Come help me with the dishes, Chun." His mother's voice cut through his thoughts, and he watched his mother and sister gather the dishes to take to the washroom.

After they left his dad look at him. "You and Tu are going to go with Souta and his family when they make their delivery in Omashu. While there, you are going to make contact with Cheng and explain this situation - it's possible this was done without anyone in the city knowing."

"Right. Souta lives in Gumi, right?" Zhuang asked. His father nodded. "When is he making his delivery?"

"He leaves in a couple of days. I want you to go ahead and head to his house tomorrow, explain the situation to him. He'll probably have his daughter help you out, too."

"What? Not Fei Yen..." Tu grumbled, making Zhuang chuckle. "Don't you laugh at me, bro. She's crazy! Crazy, I tell you!"

"Come on, Tu. It was a long time ago..."

"It hasn't even been a year yet. Don't underestimate how crazy she is, Zhuang."

"That's enough, you two," their father interjected. "Now follow me." He went outside with them behind, walking around to the back of their small three room house. "Alright," their father began, earthbending up a small model of Omashu, "Omashu is a large city. Neither of you have spent much time in a city, which is why you'll need Fei Yen's help." Tu cringed, but kept silent.

"Now," he continued, "One of Cheng's men can usually be seen around this area," he pointed. "When you enter the city, you want to follow the mail rail northward until you come across the large Tongscreen, then turn west until you reach the shopping district."

Zhuang's father earthbended again, changing his model of the city to a model of a few streets. "This may not be completely right - it's been awhile since I was in Omashu." Zhuang was about to say something, but his father waved it away. "Anyway, keep an eye out. He should be either here or here," he said, pointing. "He should stick out: he's a Water Triber."

Zhuang's cocked an eyebrow at this news. "Isn't that a bit too obvious?"

"It's proven to be the opposite, from what I understand. Nobody seems to suspect a foreigner of helping the _Sons of Earth_." Zhuang shrugged at his father's answer. "You need to ask him the code question: '_What is the nature of your lost art?'_ He should respond with '_To hide that which must be seen.'_Then follow him." They both nodded, and Zhuang's father earthbended his street map away, not leaving a trace.

The reentered the house to find Zhuang's mom and Chun chatting. "Why were you outside?" Chun asked.

"Telling my sons I want them to go with Souta to deliver his goods. I don't trust these soldiers not to harass an old man on the road," their father answered.

Their mom laughed. "He a couple of years younger than you, Jae."

He groaned. "Don't remind me, dear." He turned to the boys. "Go ahead and get to bed. You'll be heading off early tomorrow, and it's a long walk to Gumi Village from here." They nodded, then went to the sleeping room and prepared for bed.

"Like we're going to walk," Tu said. "You ready to go for a long Rock Rocket Ride tomorrow?"

"Yep. That'll wear us both out, though, so we should still go ahead and get some sleep."

Tu nodded and laid down. "Those bastards won't get away with this," he muttered.

"No, they won't." Zhuang took off his shirt and laid down, and before long the rest of the family came in to sleep as well. The night passed uneventfully, and soon dawn was upon them.


	3. A Day in Gumi

Chapter 02

A Day in Gumi

Morning came, and with it Zhuang and Tu were woken by Jae. "Your mother's got supplies packed already. Food, some spare clothes. Get woken up, wash your face, then get on the road." Zhuang nodded while yawning, got up, and got dressed in the same clothes he was wearing yesterday. He stretched, yawned, and stepped over his little sister to the main room.

The main room was sparsely decorated. Along with the eating table off to the side, there was just a three wooden chairs and a couple of family portraits on the wall. They were a poor family living in a small poor village - they didn't have much in the way of luxuries.

Zhuang and Tu ate some quick breakfast, which was really just leftovers from dinner a few days ago. Then they each grabbed a pack and slung it around their shoulder, and without much ado they went out the door.

Zhuang took a moment to look around. Some twenty places of residence were visible - a mixture of wooden houses, earthbended dwellings, and a couple of tents. All were small and modest, but all were home. They walked to the outskirts of a village where Tu proceed to earthbend a somewhat large rock out of the ground. "It's the largest one around," Tu said apologetically. Zhuang merely nodded, and they both hopped on, feeling a little crowded.

Keeping the rock floating just above the ground, Tu set them off. After getting it so fast he said, "Ok, Zhuang. Now."

Tu moved over to the side to give Zhuang what room he could, continuing to bend his rock forward at a steady pace. Zhuang stretched, put his hands out behind him, and proceed to firebend a small yet continuous stream of fire. As he got warmed up he put more effort into it, and before long he was speeding up the rock through his firebending.

The two had created the Rock Rocket Ride in their younger days, experimenting and playing games that combined both firebending and earthbending. It was an interesting mental exercise for Zhuang, and he came up with some of their more creative combination moves. It was Tu, however, that first came up with the theory behind their favorite mode of transportation.

The hours passed with few words, as each focused on their job in getting their rock safely to Gumi. Zhuang controlled their speed, while Tu steered their way around obstacles. Tu would occasionally ask Zhuang to slow down or speed up, and at times they would have halting conversation, but by and large both kept to their own thoughts as the miles flew by. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but there was a tension that wasn't usually there whenever they went out on these rides. After a few hours they stopped to have a small second breakfast. Constantly bending for that long was tiring.

"Pass me some more of that dried moo-sow jerky," Zhuang said. After chewing on it a little he said, "We're already getting close, huh?"

"Yeah," Tu answered. "At this rate we'll be there in time for a late lunch."

"I wonder if Dad figured we'd use this. He didn't wake us up as early as I thought he would." Zhuang paused to bite off more meat. "With waking us up a little after dawn like that, we wouldn't get there until hours after sundown if we were going by foot."

"It wouldn't surprise me. Your old man always did seem to know more than he let on."

Zhuang shrugged. "You almost finished?" Tu nodded. "Good. We'll rest for another... 30 minutes or so, then we'll go ahead and get the last bit of this trip over with."

* * *

The rest of the trip passed by uneventfully, with them arriving in time to say hello to Souta as he was finishing about to go out for a meal. The older man was approaching his 40's, with his dark, long hair showing signs of grey around his ears. His dark green eyes, however, and lost none of their cleverness, and his body still showed signs of strength. Despite his advancing age, he did not look like the kind of man to cross.

After initial greetings, Zhuang explained the situation to him. Being a member of the Sons of Earth, Souta promised to help in any way he could. In the meantime, he put the boys to work, loading up his wagon with the various vegetables into his wagon.

"Why can't we just use his old Satomobile?" Tu grumbled. "It'd be faster."

"It doesn't have as much room," Zhuang answered.

"That isn't the only reason," Souta appeared from behind his storage shed. "I promised my wife I'd give up the 'facets of city life' when I married her. I keep it around for emergencies, but now I just use my ostrich horse drawn wagon for my travels."

"Speaking of your family," Zhuang started, "where is your wife and daughter?"

"They went to Fei Dong a couple of days ago to help them out. There was a nasty fire there a week ago. They took some food and supplies. They should be back tonight."

Tu let out a stealthy sigh of relief, but it stopped short when he heard Fei Yen would be back before they left. Accepting the inevitable, he put it out of his mind and set back to work. Zhuang slowly followed suit, and the two of them finished loading the wagon within an hour.

"You boys hungry?" Their stomachs answered for them, and together the two of them went to the local inn to get some grub. It was a large, multi-story building made of stone and wood. The main room inside had wooden tables and a bar at the far end, with stairs on each side, one leading upstairs to the rooms and one leading downstairs to the basement. Over in the corner not far from the front door was a fireplace. It was roomy and comfortable, but largely empty as it was still the middle of the day.

"How come we don't have a place like this back in Wuhu?" Tu asked.

"Well," Zhuang began as they sat down at a table and waited for a waitress, "Gumi is really close to the main road that leads to Omashu. A lot of people travel that road, which means quite a few end up stopping here to spend the night. There _are_a lot of houses here, but no one wants stranger crashing in for the night if they can help it."

Tu was reminded of yesterday, which soured his mood considerably. His spirits were lifted, though, when it came time to order the food.

"So, down to business...," Souta began, "This is troubling news. These soldiers haven't come here yet, but they've already been to Fei Dong and several of the other villages around here - I've received word from all over while you two were loading up my wagon.

"It's possible Gumi won't have to suffer the kind of indignity all of the smaller villages around here will, but they may lay claim to exclusive use of some of the rooms of this inn. There's already a couple upstairs sleeping the day away for nightly patrols, but they actually paid."

Tu and Zhuang exchanged shocked glances.

"Don't be so alarmed; we're going to have to deal with this sort of thing more and more as we approach the inevitable day... until then, there's something I may have to ask you boys to do after we get to Omashu and you see Cheng. I'm going to request him to send you boys to Republic City and see if there's been any progress in getting some warriors from the Southern Water Tribe."

"What?" Zhuang asked, truly surprised. "The Water Tribe is going to help us?"

"We don't know," Souta continued. "We're communicating with them through agents in Republic City. They have an interest in this regardless: because of their desire to crush us, the Earth Kingdom has militarized its southern regions in a way never before seen. There are troops around these parts all the way from Ba Sing Se. If I were them, I'd be concerned about having so many troops so close."

Zhuang couldn't see the issue. "Isn't there a lack of dirt and rocks where they are? How would earthbenders... oh, right: the army has entire nonbender platoons now."

Souta nodded. "That, coupled with a few Fire Nation designed weapons, make invasion of Water Tribe territory possible for the Earth Kingdom for the first time in history."

"But still," Zhuang persisted, "the Earth Kingdom hasn't shown any aggressive tendencies against the other nations since... since Chin the Conqueror, at least, and he was mostly concerned with ruling the entirety of this kingdom."

Souta gave Zhuang a shrewd look. "You're pretty bright for a boy that was born and raised in a three room dirt home in a one ostrich horse village."

"I learned whenever the opportunity was there. There's still a lot I don't know, but..."

"So I wasn't your only 'teacher' then, eh?"

Zhuang smiled. "No, though I appreciate every bit of knowledge you let trickle to me." Souta laughed.

"What's Republic City like?" Tu suddenly asked. "Is it really like they say?"

Souta laughed, then signaled for a nearby waitress to come to the table. "I've never been there, though I've seen pictures. If half of what they say about that city is true, I wouldn't want you boys going there alone. Ah," he paused, looking at the waitress when she approached the table. She was young, with a small frame, dark eyes, and long brown hair done up in a large bun. "Can you give me the usual to go? Three, this time - for each of us."

"Of course," she replied, bowing, and left them for a moment.

There was a moment of silence as she walked away, with the two younger boys watching her more closely than was altogether necessary. "She is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Souta teased, causing Tu to blush and look down at the table. Zhuang seemed unfazed by the remark, but Souta could tell he was slightly embarrassed as well.

"What'd you get, anyway?" Tu asked, in an obvious bid to change the subject.

"A little to-go box. It has rice with some spiced chicken thrown in. Comes with some Jasmine Tea."

"Tea? That's a bar," Zhuang said, pointing out the obvious.

"The owner of this establishment and I go way back. Gives me certain perks."

Zhuang shook his head, amused. The waitress returned with three small ornately decorated red and green boxes, and the three men took their leave of the inn.

* * *

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully, with the three of them walking around town talking of small things, eating their take out meals. Tu eventually managed to get a word in with one of the local girls, and soon he left Zhuang and Souta to their own devices.

"How's your firebending coming?" Souta asked as they approached his home in the evening. The sun was less than an hour from fully setting, and the western sky was bathed in orange.

"As well as can be hoped without any formal teaching. Earthbenders like Tu have it made in this country," Zhuang groused.

"Well, this _is_the Earth Kingdom."

"Yeah, I know. My mother taught me a bit, but she never developed her bending talents like she could have."

Souta nodded, folding his hands behind his back. "I've always wondered why such a naturally talented woman didn't work to be the best she could be."

"From what Dad has told me, she wasn't allowed to. She was a servant in some rich noble's estate, and this noble had mandated that the only firebending his servants could use was in relation to their jobs. Y'know, heating the water in his tub, getting the fireplace going. Most of his servants were nonbenders, but he kept a few benders around for convenience sake."

"Sounds rather unfortunate," Souta commented while opening his front door. He and Zhuang filed into the house. "So, Dao-ming isn't home yet. She probably won't be here until tomorrow, then."

They settled in for the night, talking of various things. Some time later Tu came back in, looking rather pleased with himself, and several hours after the sun went down they went to bed and slept.


	4. Preparing for Departure

Chapter 03

Preparing for Departure

"So what happened last night?" Zhuang asked Tu as they were walking in a nearby field. The sun has risen several hours ago, and they had already eaten breakfast. Satou had business to take care of, so the two benders were left to their own devices. Tu had decided this would be a good time to spar, so here they were.

"We walked, talked. She was fun and interesting, but ultimately not my type."

"Uh-huh."

A moment of silence followed, then Tu conceded. "Her boyfriend showed up. Tried to pick a fight with me. He wasn't a bender."

"You looked that smug because you beat up a nonbender? It's things like that that'll give those Neo Equalists the support they need to..." He stopped, realizing he was wasting his breath. "How badly did you beat him?"

"Oh, not too bad. He was smart and gave up when he saw me bend a rock the size of his head out of the ground. After that we had a nice discussion about how jealousy is the root of all evil in the world and his friend invited me to show off some of my moves."

"Heh." They continued on for another minute, then stopped. "Yeah, this will be good. You ready?"

Tu walked a few steps away then turned around. "Don't go crazy with that fire of yours," he quipped, then nodded. "Ready when you are."

"Good." Zhuang started off the match with a few small fireballs, which were quickly blocked by a small wall of earth. Zhuang immediately ran toward the wall, dodging pillars before jumping on its sloping surface to jump over and give Tu a good cooking. However, his blast of hot air hit nothing, as Tu had bended his way underground, leaving an obvious hole in the process.

Zhuang stopped, cursing, as a pair of rock hands rose up out of the ground to grab him. He didn't manage to dodge it, meaning his hands were stuck to his sides, eliminating his ability to bend.

Tu popped up out of the ground half a minute later. "What, I actually got you with that?"

Zhuang said nothing. Tu stomped on the ground, freeing him, and they took their places for round two. This time Tu started things off with an aggressive wall of dirt. Zhuang dodged to the left as it approached, rushing toward Tu who took a bending step back, raising a bit of rock to trip Zhuang. Zhuang side stepped it, sending a small bit of fire Tu's way.

Tu once again blocked it with a wall of earth, but Zhuang was already running around it, sending more fire toward Tu and forcing the earthbender to remain on the defensive. He was eventually running ever tighter circles, slowing down just enough to perform bending movements to send more fire at Tu before going into a sprint again.

Finally, Zhuang jumped on top of the earth half-sphere Tu had made for himself, forcing his hands down a hole mistakenly left at the top, and sending a small puff of flame down, barely setting the tip of some of Tu's hairs on fire.

Jumping down, Zhuang watched as Tu sent that dirt and rock back into the ground properly, admitting defeat while patting down his head. It was a rule they had: if Zhuang could have done serious harm but didn't, the victory was still his. Fire was a dangerous tool, so they both agreed to sensible precautions.

"Did you really have to get some of my hair?" Tu complained while they set up for the tie breaking round 3.

Before they could begin, though, they heard her voice. "Good to see you boys got some skill!" Tu immediately groaned, while Zhuang relaxed and started walking over to her. "Good to see you, Zhuang."

"Good to see you too, Fei Yen."

Fei Yen was younger than both Zhuang and Tu, having lived only 15 years thus far. Her skin was a little darker than the two boys despite their long days out in the fields, having been born with the skin tone. Her hair was black and long, but her eyes were a light brown.

Tu walked over, looking hesitant, but Fei Yen didn't take any notice. "We just got back about an hour ago. Daddy said you were likely out here, so I came looking and watched you kick Tu's butt."

"He won the first round," Zhuang admitted, not wanting his friend to look completely bad.

Fei Yen giggled, then waved at the silent Tu that had finally finished his slow walk over. Tu waved back, smiling a bit.

"Now that I've found you two," she said, surprising them both by the seriousness of her voice, "we need to get back to the house. Dad's changed his plans because of what's going on, and we're going to be leaving first thing in the morning instead. He wants to talk to us about something before we get to bed tonight."

Zhuang looked up at the sky. "It's only about an hour or so after noon. Do we really need to rush?"

"Yes," she answered, sharply. So, leaving things at a tie, the two boys followed Fei Yen back to her house. "You both stink."

* * *

All five of them were gathered around the table in the main room. They had just finished eating, and were now ready to get down to business.

"Since Fei Yen has already told you, I'm going to tell you why," Souta began, drinking some tea to collect his thoughts. "It seems that the Earth King's agents in Omashu has labeled this town as the hotbed they have been looking for, and will be locking this town down in the next couple of days. From what I've been told, a huge platoon of the Earth Army is already on its way, bringing tanks and all kinds of advanced weaponry imported from the Fire Nation.

"We want to get you three out of here before they get here - there will be too many questions asked otherwise, and I'm not the best of liars." He sighed when everyone grinned, each with their own memories of his less than stellar track record in that regard. "For now we'll stick to this story if we get caught on the road by any patrols.

"Zhuang, you and Tu are young bodyguards I've hired to protect me from bandits that can bend. My daughter's a pretty good bender, but she hasn't developed the skill for fighting like you two."

"Sounds reasonable," Zhuang said. "Though they'll ask why you feel the need for that with all the soldiers that are going to be around."

"Call it an old man's need to feel safe," Souta answered. "I'll even give you a little money so you can show them 'payment in advance' if they get too suspicious."

"This one is certainly better than some of your other schemes," Dao-ming chimed in, earning a laugh from her husband. Her dark blue eyes shined with amusement when he tried to come up with a retort but failed, instead opting to focus on the business at hand.

"We're going to be bringing more than just my vegetables with us, too. Fei Yen is going to show you two some books I want packed in. Hidden in those books is a collection of messages from all over the coast that Cheng needs to see - they've really been pouring in these last few days."

"I didn't realize Sons of Earth were all over the coast," Zhuang commented.

"Well, there were several groups that had grown fed up with Ba Sing Se's nonsense. We were the largest and most organized, so over time they have agreed to operate under our banner. We even have limited support from those desert dwellers over in the east."

This gave Zhuang some food for thought. What would happen if it actually came to full blown rebellion _and they won?_He couldn't imagine the entire Earth Kingdom realigning under their leadership, and he couldn't imagine Cheng or anyone in the Sons of Earth wanting to rule this entire continent. Would the Earth Kingdom end up being split into a dozen smaller countries? He could imagine Ba Sing Se being a nation in itself if it was as big as people and maps made it out to be. He would have to ask Fei Yen about that once they were on the road.

"We'll be leaving before dawn. Everyone should eat only a light supper, then it's off to bed early."

With that in agreement, Dao-ming went off to the kitchen to do the dishes, Souta went out to pick up some last minute supplies, and the three teenagers went to the guest room to catch up. Tu seemed to have gotten over his fear of Fei Yen's "insanity" and was much more talkative for the rest of the day.


	5. On the Road

Chapter 04

On the Road

Dawn found them several miles from Gumi. The forest was already giving way to the sloping grasslands that marked the feet of the mountains. They ate early on the road while the ostrich horses made good time in their slow pace, and for the most part a sleepy silence had pervaded the large two wheeled wagon. Souta and his wife were in front on a high bench holding the reins to the ostrich horses, while the three teenagers were in the back, trying to fight sleep as the wagon slowly plodded along, rocking here and there as one of the wheels hit a pebble or some other tiny obstacle.

Last night Zhuang heard it would take two days to reach Omashu, and that they would be using the road. It marked a clear path through the mountains, but it was a winding path. He didn't know it, but they had already passed where the ancient Tunnel of Two Lovers used to be long ago. It would have interested him to know that almost two and a half centuries ago an Avatar had traveled through here during the end of a bitter war, but he was not a student of history. He, like most in the Earth Kingdom today, only had a vague unpleasant recollection of the Hundred Year War, though the bitterness that marked the kingdom in the aftermath had all but faded entirely as the generations passed.

It was a sleepy morning, and the sleepy silence would last for another couple of hours as the sun crawled its way up to warm a new day.

* * *

"So you're really going to Republic City?" Fei Yen asked. They were crowded in what little room was left in the back of the wagon, just behind some curtains that block view of the two drivers. The mountain of boxes of veggies took up the vast majority of the space, so all three of them were forced to sit on a small stack of books. They were all dressed practically for traveling, wearing lightly colored clothes made very thinly. The two females of the group decided to not wear skirts, and were therefore dressed much like the men.

Zhuang nodded. "That seems to be the plan. Someone's supposed to tell my dad sometime soon. He shouldn't have a problem with it, though I hate to leave the village when the harvest is going on."

"Really really?" she persisted. "Have either of you spent much time in a city at all?"

They both shook their heads.

"They're huge. Like, really big. I might come from the city to end all cities, but I've been to both Republic City and Omashu several times. Republic City... it's indescribable." She was silent a moment. "You both know what a Tongscreen is, right?"

"Yeah. We've both seen the big one in Omashu." Tu answered.

"Omashu has just one of them," Fei Yen said. "Imagine several of them on every skyscraper, each a different size showing something different. Most of the building there are taller than any in Omashu. Imagine paved streets full of vehicles of every shape, size, and description. There are no ostrich horse carts on those roads. I just..." she seemed to struggle with words, her hands in front of her making weird gestures in the hopes of articulating what she's trying to convey to two boys who had spent most of their days around homes with three or less rooms in them.

"Is it really that much different from even Omashu?" Zhuang asked.

She nodded emphatically, the hair around her face whipping around. "I wish I could really tell you. It's an entirely different world from Gumi. From Omashu. Even from Ba Sing Se. It's so advanced... so populated... so... so...," she shook her head and waved her hand, signaling she was giving up on that.

"Hey Zhuang!" Souta's voice came from the front of the wagon. Zhuang got up to see what he wanted, leaving Tu and Fei Yen along in the back.

After he left Fei Yen eyed Tu darkly. "So, what's the deal?"

"What?" Tu asked, surprised (and a little frightened) by the sudden change in her voice.

"You were almost acting scared of me yesterday, and so far on this trip you've been quieter than gossip of you would have had me believe you could be. So, what's the deal?"

Tu looked incredibly uncomfortable in answering the question. He tried not to buckle under the pressure of her stare, but he was quite intimidated by her. "Well, it... it's about what you did when we first met."

Fei Yen's face changed from a glare to a surprised expression to having an amused grin all in an instance. "You never got over that?"

Tu became suddenly indignant. "How could I!?" he almost shouted, only remembering just in time to control his volume. "We had just met and you did that?"

"Oh, come on," Fei Yen said, clearly exasperated. "It was just a prank. Kids used to try and pull that one on each other all the time in Ba Sing Se. They just usually don't succeed."

"Well, you did," he retorted grumpily, absent mindedly rubbing his behind. "I haven't been the same since."

"Oh, please, that little earthbended spike wasn't large enough to cause any real damage. Believe me, things could have been a lot worse."

"That waterbender seemed concerned."

"That's because you were screaming like a little baby. I can't believe you actually had her check on you after you sat on it."

There was a pause, then Tu said, "That was probably the most awkward moment of my life."

"Hers, too, probably." There was a moment of awkward silence while the two of them remembered that day. Finally, Fei Yen broke the silence. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would scar you that much. Have you really been scared of me all this time?"

Tu didn't want to admit that the incident had caused him to have nightmares of her that still occasionally plagued his sleep, but he did nod a little bit. "You don't seem so bad, though, when you're not trying to ruin a man's poop hole."

"Well, if you're... willing to put that... unfortunate incident behind you," she started a little haltingly, caught off guard by the fact that he had used the phrase 'poop hole,' "I can promise I'm actually a good friend."

Tu couldn't think of anything to say, but he did extend his hand. She shook it, and that seemed to be that. A few minutes of quiet passed between them, where Souta and Zhuang could be heard talking from the front of the wagon, apparently answering a question. Most of what he said couldn't be heard clearly, but the words "Omashu," "Fire Nation," and "problem" could occasionally be caught.

After a little while Zhuang came back and sat down on his book. "We'll be stopping for lunch soon," he informed them.

"What did daddy want with you?" Fei Yen asked.

"Hm? Oh, he said he was expecting to see a couple of Fire Nation soldiers at the gates up ahead. Apparently the Earth King has signed a treaty with the Fire Nation. Something about joint security. He was saying that if we're stopped I should try to pass myself off as a Fire Nation citizen."

"That sounds like a bad idea," Fei Yen responded.

"I told him as much. He tried to argue, but his wife agreed with me, talking about papers and how much of a problem we could get into if we got caught. He's trying to think of something else now."

"I don't get it," Tu said. "What's wrong with the bodyguard story?"

"I don't know," Zhuang answered. "It's just like your dad," he continued, turning to Fei Yen. "He can't keep the story simple. It's why he can't lie."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Fei Yen said.

"It can be if you happen to be a member of a rebel group fed up with the Earth Kingdom trying to control more and more of our lives."

Tu nodded, and Fei Yen was forced to agree. Just then they felt the wagon stop, signaling lunch.

* * *

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. The miles and hours passed, with an occasional wagon or car passing them by on the way to the coast. The terrain had become much more hilly and rocky, and soon it was clear that they were in the mountains proper. Day was starting to give way to night when they finally stopped, and under the twilight sky they finally stopped to make camp.

After dinner it was decided that Zhuang would have first watch, followed by Souta and finally Tu. Zhuang settled down on a rock just outside the fire's light, and prepared to have several hours of alone time. However, about half an hour Fei Yen came out to join him. "Couldn't sleep," she said in reply to his questioning look.

"You should enjoy your rest when you can get it. We'll be pretty busy once we reach Omashu, from the way your dad makes it sound."

"I know," she said, stretching. "I'm just... I guess I'm too excited to get much sleep right now. It feels like we're beginning an adventure. First Omashu, then Republic City. Where will we go next?"

Zhuang smiled at her excitement despite himself. "I don't know. I imagine we'll come back to Omashu after that."

"That sounds boring," she answered, pouting a little. "Why not Ba Sing Se? Or the Fire Nation Capital?"

Zhuang actually laughed at that idea. "Why in the name of the Avatar would we go all the way to the Fire Nation?"

"I dunno. People seem to think the Water Tribe will help us. Maybe some people in the Fire Nation will also be willing to help our cause."

"Hmm. While we're at it, let's visit the Air Temples and get all the airbenders to blow our way to victory."

"Now you're talking!" she said, laughing. "Then to the North Pole!"

"Shh, keep it down," Zhuang whispered. "They're trying to sleep over there," he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.

"Hah, right. Sorry." She took a deep breath. "You're probably right, though. After Republic City it's we'll probably just come back home. Back to our boring lives."

"No," Zhuang said, his gaze far away. "I don't think I'll be going back home. I plan to stay in Omashu once we get back, help out the Sons of Earth in any way I can from there."

Fei Yen didn't immediately respond to that, and for a while there was a silence, broken only by the crickets, an occasional breeze, and other sounds nature provided. Minutes were soon turning into an hour, with both of them lost in their own thoughts and Zhuang only partially paying attention to the world around him. Fei Yen had come to hate it when Zhuang got lost in thought like this, there but not really there. She wondered what went on in his mind and where everyone in his life factored in to whatever plans he had for his future.

After a while Zhuang looked up at the stars. "You should go on to bed, Fei Yen."

"Alright," she said, getting off the rock she was sharing with him. "Goodnight."

"Night," he responded quietly. She went to her makeshift bed and laid down, but didn't immediately go to sleep. She was awake when, a few hours later, Zhuang came back to wake her father up for his turn. She covertly watched as Zhuang added a log to the fire and when he laid down. His eyes were clouded, his mind obviously far away from where they were. She watched as he slowly went to sleep before she, too, finally drifted off.

* * *

The next day was much like before, only this time Zhuang was riding in front with Souta, while Fei Yen and Dao-ming were in the back with a sleeping Tu. Several hours had already passed since dawn, and Souta was sure they would be there before sundown. "Sometimes I wish I had bought one of those messenger hawks," he growled as they were rounding another bend in the cliff road they were on.

"I'm sure Cheng has some idea already of what's going on," Zhuang said. Souta seemed more agitated today. Zhuang was about to say something else, but Souta handed him the reins and told him to handle the two ostrich horses. With a bit of a struggle getting up and turning around, he went to the back.

Souta found that Tu was starting to wake up. "So, you finally decided to join us in the land of the waking." He had meant for it to be a humorous comment, but it came out too sharply.

"Sorry," Tu muttered, stretching. Souta nodded to show that he accepted the apology, then settled down next to his wife on the wooden floor of the wagon. "How far are we from Omashu?" Tu asked, eyeing some of the carrots in the nearest crate.

Souta grabbed one and passed it to Tu, who started to eat it while Souta answered his question. "We'll be traveling on for most of the day," Souta said, "but I think we'll be there in time for dinner if we don't have any problems."

"Everything should be fine, dear," Dao-ming chimed in. "I'd be surprised if soldiers gave us more than a passing glance."

"I hope so," Souta said. "We have a good story even if they do."

"As long as you don't mess it up," Fei Yen said, smiling.

They all laughed, and then Tu asked for another carrot. As he received it, they all felt the wagon come to a stop. "Hey Zhuang!" Souta called. "Why'd we stop?"

"Soldiers," came his response from beyond the curtain.

"I hope your last words weren't an ill omen," Dao-ming said to Fei Yen as Souta moved to the front to sit by Zhuang and answer questions. When he got out there he saw three Earth Kingdom soldiers on ostrich horses dressed in the more traditional armor.

"How can I help you, sirs?" Souta asked. Since they were dressed traditionally, there was no way to determine if they were benders or not. _Best assume they are_, he thought to himself.

The oldest of the three pulled up alongside the bench. "What's your business?"

"I'm just taking some of my wares to Omashu to sell in the marketplace," Souta said. "Vegetables," he added to answer the man's next question.

"My men will need to take a look. Is there anyone in the back of the wagon?"

"Yes," Souta answered.

"Get them out," he said, but even before he had finished his sentence Tu was already seen climbing out of the curtain and down the little ladder-like steps down the side. He was quickly followed by Dao-ming and Fei Yen, and then Zhuang and Souta got down as well.

The other two soldiers got down from their mounts, and one walked around back while the other climbed up the steps to look at things from the other side. The soldier in the back opened up the door Zhuang and Tu had loaded the vegetables in, and after a few minutes the two were finishing up their quick inspection.

"Nothing but food and a couple of books," one of the soldiers reported while throwing some cabbage angrily to the ground.

"No, not the cabbage," Souta whispered in horror.

"Alright," the older one said. He was clearly the one in charge, but Souta couldn't figure out his rank just by looking at him. "You're free to go," he said to Souta, and once the other two soldiers had mounted their ostrich horses they rode off down the way Souta's wagon had come from. After the soldiers were gone they loaded back into the wagon, with Zhuang and Souta back in front to drive the ostrich horses and Tu and the two ladies in the back.

After a little bit of small talk and laughing off that close call, Tu suddenly had a thought. "Hey, Fei... how did your parents meet?"

"Shouldn't you ask me that?" Dao-ming said. Tu nodded, and made himself more comfortable expecting a long story. "Well," she began, "this was several years after Fei Yen's mother had passed away."

"Wait, you're not her mom?" Fei Yen rolled her eyes at the question.

"No, I'm her stepmother. I was living in a village not far from the outer ring of Ba Sing Se then, and I would sometimes go into the city with my family to sell my crafts. I was good at making pottery, and that, coupled with the food my family was able to make through hunting and farming we were pretty comfortable.

"Souta and his daughter lived in the lower ring, and her father made his living as an electric repairman then. He worked in parts of the lower ring that actually already had electricity, but his work would sometimes take him to the middle ring as well." She stopped and sighed then. "We met in the middle ring, right in front of the university. He had just gotten done with a job at a cafe and was taking time to browse their library.

"As he left he literally bumped into me, making me drop a vase I had spent the last week making. I said some things that don't need repeating, and after enduring my words he offered to pay me for the damages.

"We kept in contact, and he visited my home a few times. Eventually we fell in love, but my parents didn't approve of him. So, in the end, he came with his daughter and snuck me away, eventually settling down here and getting married."

"Huh," was all Tu could say. "So when did you meet Fei Yen?"

"We met a couple of days after dad broke her fancy vase," the daughter replied. "We got along well. I didn't want to leave Ba Sing Se, but... well, I didn't really have much choice."

There was some silence in the back. Up front they could hear the muffled voices of Zhuang and Souta, and after a while the creaks and groans of the wagon became more noticeable. Soon lunch time arrived. Afterward followed the rest of the trip, which passed without incident, and about an hour before sunset they topped a bend and found before them the ancient city of Omashu.


	6. Business

Chapter 05

Business

Omashu had changed quite a bit since the days of Avatar Aang. The lone pathway to the city gates had been replaced by four great roads, each going in one of the cardinal directions. Below the great roads, hugging the mighty pillars which held them up, were a smattering of small buildings. While they appeared to be four villages within close proximity, they were counted as part of the city proper. A limited amount of agriculture was attempted here, but Omashu's needs had it importing much of its food, and of course farmers from nearby villages came to sell their excess crops.

Omashu had become a center of commerce in this region of the world over the last century, serving as a primary stop for goods from much of the desert to the east and the coastal towns and ports to the west and south. Anything that was produced within three hundred miles usually found its way to Omashu at some point, and it wasn't uncommon to see goods from as far away as the Fire Nation Capital and the northern and southern poles on sale in the marketplaces.

The city had also modernized somewhat. While the earthy feel of the city had been preserved, most buildings were much taller than in the olden days, jutting from the mountain walls in a haphazard fashion, their metallic and stone walls and glass windows glittering in the setting sun. The central palace, long since rebuilt from its destruction in the Hundred Year War, was the most prominent construction at the very top of the peak the city resided on. It seemed to want to touch the very heavens, but fell just short of its lofty goal.

Moving between skyscrapers in its serpentine path, the mail system continued its ancient function. While a few parts of it in the lower part of the city had become somewhat automated, by and large it still relied on earthbenders to move packages around the city. Below these paths lay the streets, the large main ones paved for automobiles while side streets and alleys remained topped with dirt.

Zhuang took it all in from atop the hill. While this was not his first time visiting one of the oldest cities in the world, it was his first time in quite a few years. Tu and Fei Yen peeked out to get a glimpse of the city's magnificence. They soon began their approach, and before long they were took close to the city to see it as a whole. That, coupled with the oncoming of night, made the spectacle short lived for the travelers.

Getting into the city proved easier than expected. Despite concerns from Souta, there was no sign of the Fire Nation military anywhere. Despite concerns about rebels, the soldiers let them in without much harassment. Souta led his wagon down a main street, in the outside lane designated for non-motorized vehicles, and steered his party deeper into the city.

* * *

They spent the night at a hotel, not far from the tower that holds the only Tongscreen in the city. Zhuang watched it for a little while before going to sleep. Tu stayed up a little bit watching the Shovision, but he, too, went to sleep. the night passed, and soon day was upon them.

"You know how to find Cheng?" Souta asked. He was sending the boys and his daughter on ahead while he went to the market. He had vegetables to sell, after all, and the natural preservatives he had used to keep them from spoiling wouldn't last forever. Off he and his wife went to the nearest marketplace, while the three teenagers turned north. Despite being able to see the Tongscreen frequently through the buildings and mail system, Zhuang still chose to play it carefully and followed the larger mail path as it went its way north. Though they lived more west than south of the great city, the road they took winded southward before heading north, making them approach the city from the south.

"Didn't your dad say we were going to a shopping district? Why didn't we just follow him?" Tu asked.

"Because," Fei Yen answered authoritatively, cutting off Zhuang who was about to speak, "while this city only has one shopping district, it has several squares and smaller marketplaces where unlicensed sellers can go. The shopping district, though, is heavily regulated." Tu literally bowed to the wisdom of Fei Yen, making her giggle. "Stop that," she said as he raised his head. He thought about bowing to her again, not used to seeing her laugh, but didn't.

"Shovisions are great," Tu said, making conversation. "They're like Tongscreens, except in your room!"

"Yeah, but did you really have to watch that cartoon?" Fei Yen asked. "There are much better things to watch."

"What was wrong with it?" Tu asked.

"I highly doubt Avatar Aang was a girl, first off," Fei Yen said, preparing to list all the reasons why _The Great and Totally Accurate Account of the Works of Avatars and Their Friends Throughout the Ages_was a terrible show (and was about to mention the name) when Tu argued.

"That episode is supposed to be based on some historical Fire Nation play!" He was getting in her face, waving his arms and pointing to add more weight to his argument.

"Was it written during the Hundred Year War? They were probably insulting him for laughs!" She was doing much the same as Tu.

"Well I don't see you complaining about the episode that featured Avatar Kyoshi."

"They depicted her as a strong woman who accomplished many things in her life. It seemed a little more accurate," she huffed.

"So she really flew on dragons and went to the moon an-" Tu would have continued, but he bumped into Zhuang who had stopped. "Why'd you stop?"

"We're here," he answered. Rising above them was one of the tallest buildings in the city. Turning left, Zhuang started the much further walk from the Tongscreen to the shopping district.

They made good time, though they ended up having to stop at a cafe to eat a light lunch. Zhuang still had the money Souta had given him, and it proved to be sufficient for the small cakes and tea. Eating at one of the cafe's outside tables, they talked a bit (with Tu and Fei Yen finishing their argument about that Shovision show) and watched the populous of the city go about their business. The warm sun and constant background noise of the city seemed to be almost hypnotic for Fei Yen, and Zhuang had to at one point shake her to keep her from falling asleep. "I wasn't about to take a nap," she said grumpily, before stretching and yawning. "C'mon, let's get out of here and find that Water Tribe guy."

With Tu taking another slice of cake to go, the three made their way onward, and, after a couple of detours and getting lost once, they finally found their way to the shopping district.

It was quite a bit larger than Jae's earthbended model would have had the boys believe. Several streets made up the district, each with buildings that were at least a dozen floors tall. They were built in a variety of styles as well. While most had that distinctive Omashu look and feel, Fei Yen commented that several wouldn't have looked out of place in Ba Sing Se, and there were even a few reddish buildings with the pagoda styled roofings common in the Fire Nation.

They spent quite a bit of time walking around. Zhuang was more focused on the task at hand, while both Fei Yen and Tu were acting more like tourists, gawking at this and wanting to buy that. "Will you two focus?" Zhuang asked, a little irritated. They would for a moment, but then something would catch on of the two earthbenders' attention and they would be running from display window to display window again. Never together, as their interests naturally differed, but there seemed to be something for everyone in the busy shopping district of Omashu.

They did, in time, find someone that looked to be from the Southern Water Tribe. He was dressed in traditional green Earth Kingdom robes, but his skin was the distinctive dark color of a Water Triber. His hair was short, with the sides and back of his head being shaved while the top was covered with a ponytail at the back of his head. Zhuang had learned from some Southern Water Tribe warriors he had met in Gumi years ago that this was referred to as a "warrior's wolf tail."

Seeing no other way than to ask this man the code question his father had taught him, Zhuang maneuvered through the crowded street over to where the dark skinned warrior was leaning against a wall. Tu and Fei Yen followed as best they could, but Zhuang seemed particularly driven as he cut through the crowd.

After coming to stand next to him Zhuang stood there for a couple of minutes, letting his two friends catch up. The Water Tribe man eyed him curiously. When they finally got there Zhuang asked the question, "What is the nature of your lost art?"

"Figured," he heard the tall dark man mutter, before responding, "To hide that which must be seen. So who are you?"

Zhuang introduced himself and his two traveling companions, before explaining he had come with Souta and that real trouble was afoot in the villages on the other side of the mountains.

"My name is Akkilokipok," the Water Tribe man said. "We've already received some word of what's going on from someone living in the Foggy Swamp."

Wuhu village was several miles from the swamp, but Zhuang's father had some dealings with them whenever one of them ventured out from their homeland. Up until recent history, the Earth Kingdom had left them completely alone, but even they weren't immune to Ba Sing Se's recent plans to maintain tighter and more direct control over the entire continent.

Akkilokipok noticed the reaction all three of them had to his name. While Zhuang managed to keep his face mostly straight, Tu and Fei Yen were doing all they could not to bust out laughing. "You foreigners are all alike," he grunted. "Feel free to call me Akkil, if that makes my name easier to say with a straight face."

"Nice to meet you, Akkil," Zhuang said, bowing slightly. Akkil seemed to appreciate the gesture. The other two did the same, and his irritation over how they reacted to his name seemed to vanish from his face

"Come on," Akkil motioned for them to follow him, and he led them back into the busy streets.

* * *

The basement was dimly lit. Between the fancy hand lamps laid around the tabled and the grimy windows, there wasn't much light to be had. Zhuang and friends found themselves surrounded by a small group of men and women. Some were little older than them, but some appeared ancient, easily in their 70's and 80's if Zhuang was any good judge of age. Zhuang had a dozen questions about who they were and what plans they might have, but he had to remain silent and listen to Akkil give reports.

Apparently things were going better than Zhuang had expected. Despite the fact that the Fire Nation's military could get involved in the conflict to "help maintain the Earth Kingdom's security and singular integrity," the Sons of Earth seemed to have the support of most of the kingdom's people. Support came from the great desert, the Foggy Swamp, all along the western coast, and even from a few villages not far from the Great Wall of Ba Sing Se. If it came to open rebellion, the conflict could easily consume the entire continent and go on for years.

As they listened, Tu seemed to fully understand for the first time what and his friends were in for. Even Fei Yen, who was only vaguely interested in the politics and really only in it for the adventure, seemed sobered and listening closely to what Akkil and the others were saying. All three of them were handed a reality check of one kind of another.

"That seems to be our situation," Akkil finished, answering a question from the ancient man over at the far wall, well away from Zhuang. "Cheng should return tomorrow with news from the east, and then we can lay out strategy as we approach the inevitable day."

That choice of words at the end caught Zhuang's attention. Hadn't Souta said something similar?

"And now," Akkil continued, gesturing to the three newcomers, "we have three young ones from Gumi who traveled here with Souta. Is there any message Souta has for us that can't wait for him to join us tonight?"

The other two looked at Zhuang, unsure of what to say and silently electing him as spokesman, while the whole gathering turned their attention to see what the three of them had to say. Not being used to such attention, Zhuang almost hid his head and said nothing, but then he remembered: "Souta wants the two o u-" Fei Yen kicked him, "I mean, three of us to go to Republic City and see if there's been any progress on getting the Southern Water Tribe to help us."

"He means to send his daughter?" one of the younger women there asked. "I find that hard to believe."

"Well, uh," Fei Yen quickly started, but faltered as she was trying to think of the most logical, persuasive way to explain things, "these two are country bumpkins. They've never spent much time in a city, and Republic City is, well, very different from anywhere else in... the... world?"

Tu seemed to want to say something to being called a 'country bumpkin,' but just muttered something darkly to himself instead.

They seemed to mull this over, then one of the older men said, "We'll wait to hear what Souta has to say on the matter." Fei Yen groaned when she heard this. "In the meantime, is there anything else we need to hear from you young ones?"

Zhuang thought about it, then slowly shook his head. "He's gotten a lot of information from all over the southwestern coast, but he didn't share much with us."

"That man has always been well connected," Akkil mused, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Cheng will make the final decision regarding their going to Republic City, though I expect he'll send the two boys at least. If that's all the business, then we're done until Cheng returns." The tall Water Tribe warrior waved his muscular arm to the door, signaling a dismissal. As they all filed out Akkil grabbed a hold of Zhuang's arm. "I need a word with the three of you," he said.

Zhuang nodded, and they waited until everyone else was out of the room. Finally, Akkil continued. "Has Souta found a place to stay the night yet?"

"We stayed somewhere last night, but it was only for that night. I don't think he's found another place," Zhuang answered.

Akkil sighed. "Then he'll likely be staying in my apartment again. I warn you: there is not enough room for all six of us to be comfortable." He started walking out. "I'll show you where I live. Follow."

* * *

Souta and his wife met up with them that night in Akkil's apartment. "I don't entirely like the idea of you going off with these two all the way to Republic City," Souta had been saying, "but those two will need help. While I expect Cheng to send someone with them anyway, you have my permission to venture with them." After enduring a few minutes of squeals, hugs and kisses, and a steady stream of "thank you daddy I love you," he turned to the boys and his face suddenly turned seriously, almost threatening. "Nothing better happen to her on this trip, boys. She better come back, uninjured, unscarred, and not pregnant."

In another context they might have laughed at the last comment, but between the cold threatening stare of the father and their sudden notice of the blossoming figure of the daughter they could only nod silently. He suddenly smiled. "Good. With that settled, we have at least a couple of days before your departure. Do any of you have plans for tomorrow?"

They shook their heads. "Well," he went on, "I can't help you or Tu, Fei Yen. But I've talked to a master at a firebending dojo a little east of here. Zhuang, he's agreed to give you some pointers tomorrow if you're up to it. I know you've had trouble finding steady proper teaching for your firebending, and..."

"You don't have to sell me on it. Just tell me where," Zhuang responded.

"I'll probably just go looking around the shops," Fei Yen said. "Maybe go see the palace."

Akkil suddenly entered the apartment. "Greetings, Souta."

The two embraced like old friends, laughing and chatting about this or that as they went to the back room. It was eventually how the rest of the night was spent: a gathering a friends and loved ones just enjoying the night. If they had known how rare such times would be for them in the months ahead, they would have cherished this night far more than they did. If they had known what lie ahead, they may not have been so eager to rush ahead to the things to come.

* * *

**Review Response**  
_Monaivendork said: "It sounds like a good idea, but it seems to be dragging on a bit."_  
It's been a slower start than I had in mind, but the early portion of Book 1 was planned with the idea of firmly establishing the characters before really diving into the plot. If it's dull reading right now I apologize, and I promise that in the next few chapters things will start to pick up. Thanks for the review. :)


	7. Tu's Midadventure

Chapter 06

Tu's Misadventure

With the important matters of yesterday behind them and time to kill before their departure for Republic City, the three made plans to make the most out of the next couple of days. First thing each of them had done was take a quick shower at some point that morning. Zhuang had taken Souta up on his offer, and would be spending the day at a firebending dojo, learning proper stances and fighting techniques for the first time in his life. Fei Yen, after bugging Zhuang for the rest of the money Souta had given him, went shopping with a couple of the younger girls from the meeting yesterday. Tu, not having any plans whatsoever, decided to explore the city on his own. "Maybe I'll visit Zhuang later and see how his firebending stuff is going," he thought out loud as he made his way out of the apartment building and into the busy streets.

He wandered aimlessly for a while, getting a little lost within the crowded sidewalks of the city. He hadn't noticed until he was in Akkil's apartment last night, but the entire city seemed to be wired up with electricity. For some reason, he had only thought that a few buildings, like Tongscreen tower and the palace, would be powered.

He somehow wandered into one of the smaller market squares in the city, and there were several wagons set up with wares displayed. Tu decided to poke his nose into things even if he couldn't buy anything.

* * *

"Greetings, Zhuang," the elderly man greeted. "My name is Bumi."

"Greetings, Master Bumi," Zhuang said, bowing low to show his respect. "It would be an honor to learn from you."

Bumi laughed. He seemed ancient, but at the same time he stood tall, his aged skin covering muscles that still seemed like they were quite capable. He was one who seemed to have remained quite active in his old age. His hand moved to scratch his balding head as he looked Zhuang over. He lacked facial hair as well. "Give me a demonstration of what you can do," he commanded.

Zhuang moved to the center of the dojo's main practice room. While the architecture was clearly in the southern Earth Kingdom style, the decorations and color scheme inside were clearly derived from the Fire Nation. Zhuang wondered if this man was a Fire Nation citizen living in Omashu or if they were alike in their origins. His name suggested he was born in the Earth Kingdom, but Zhuang didn't want to jump to conclusions.

As it was only those two and a few practice dummies and obstacles, Zhuang decided to start things off big. He started on the basic steps he had devised himself, sending huge plumes of flame from his fists into the air as he stepped forward. He moved his arm in a wide arc, creating a thin crescent of flame that met its end on several of the dummies. Finally, he ran forward, jumping into the air. When he landed, a huge flame erupted from his feet, and he took out another dummy. They were made of some kind of metal so they didn't burn, but Zhuang was proud to see that his last move added to the innumerable scorch marks present on their metallic surfaces.

Bumi nodded. "You've never had any formal instruction?"

"No," Zhuang said. "My mother showed me the very basics, but she couldn't show anything beyond that."

"Well, your movements are sloppy and unrefined," Bumi began, hurting Zhuang's pride at his accomplishment, "but you show a lot of promise. I do find it impressive that you've managed to figure this much out on your own." This eased his pride's wounds somewhat.

"However," the old man continued, "you seem to think that the strength of your flame comes from the muscle. This could not be further from the truth. Before we work on your technique, we must concentrate on your breathing. Stand here," he said, pointing.

Zhuang did so, and Bumi went to stand beside him. "For now, we won't be doing any firebending. Just mimic my breathing," he commanded, then started to demonstrate. Zhuang started what proved to be a surprisingly difficult breathing exercise, and for much of the morning they did little more than that: breathe.

* * *

"So how do you play this game?" Tu asked. He had stumbled across a game court outside between two skyscrapers. On that court, there were a group of teenagers kicking around a black and white ball, with a small group of them running around and one standing at each goal post, which was a makeshift net tied between two garbage cans. It seemed fun, even if it didn't involve any bending.

One of them walked over, and the game was effectively put on pause while they explained the rules to him. They called the game "football," and, in simplest terms, they kicked around a black and white round ball into the makeshift goals. Tu learned that using your hands was against the rules, but your head, feet, and any other part of the body was fair game. They stressed that bending was against the rules when he asked, and before long they managed to fit him into one of the teams and off they went.

This would be the root of his later problems, but for now he simply enjoyed the game.

* * *

"What do you think of this one?" Fei Yen asked, walking out of the dressing area wearing a white, simple strapless dress. It hugged her upper body tightly before gently flowing to her feet, and the girls with her gave their approval.

"That one suits you," one said. "Is that the one you're getting?" asked another.

Fei Yen was looking herself over in an arrangement of mirrors. They were set up in such a way that she could look at her whole self, not just the front and sides. "I don't know. If I'm going to be on the road a while I want to at least look fashionable."

The blonde one shook her head then. "No, that isn't meant for the road. Let's try... this one," she said, walking through a nearby aisle and coming back with a light brown tank top and some brown pants made out of a material Fei Yen couldn't immediately name. "It's a light cotton/silk mix - straight from Gaoling."

Fei Yen disappeared behind the curtain to try it on. People moved to and fro in the store, and the four girls went back to look at clothes for themselves. After a few minutes Fei Yen re-emerged, visibly liking this outfit. "This is really comfy," she commented to herself as she walked over to the mirrors again. The girls with her soon walked over to see how she looked.

"Now that's better," said the blonde girl.

"I want more like this," Fei Yen said, laughing.

* * *

Tu was running toward the goal, parallel to one of his teammates that had the ball. When they got close and the other team started crowding him too much, he made a swift pass to Tu. Tu was about to shoot the goal when the ground right in front of the ball suddenly raised up, creating a slope which the ball rode up on and became airborne. Tu, while stepping over the suddenly disappearing slope, jumped up to kick the ball into the goal. He succeeded, partially because the surprised goalie hadn't recovered fast enough the ground beneath his feet rising unevenly, causing him to trip over.

"That earthbender cheated!" someone from the other team shouted.

"It wasn't me!" Tu shouted back. "I don't know who was doing the bending, but it wasn't me!"

"You lying sack of crap!" Members of both teams were starting to surround him, clearly angry by his perceived actions. "You're already good enough without your magic!" someone shouted.

"I didn't do th- hey it's not magic!" Tu shouted. "Someone framed me! Maybe it wa-" Someone threw a rock at him, and he barely managed to catch it with his hand. "Alright that's it!" he shouted over the noise they were making, and with a stomp of his foot caused the ground beneath them to quake, knocking everyone within a couple of blocks over. "Maybe I overdid it," he thought out loud.

"Hey, who did that? Earthbending on that scale is illegal within city limits!" A couple of police officers were running into the alley, and seeing that Tu was the only one standing guessed who the earthbender responsible was. They were dressed in a blue and green uniform, but weren't currently wearing the hats that were standard issue, as they fell off while the officers managed to keep their balance.

"It was him!" one of the kids getting up shouted while pointing at Tu, confirming the guess.

"Freeze!" They started running toward him, with one slowing down apparently ready to do some bending to keep Tu in place.

Tu, not knowing what else to do, panicked and started to run off. He managed to dodge the couple of dirt hands that rose up to grab his ankles, and after a couple of steps stopped to bend a small rock out of the ground. While not much bigger than his head it did have a flat surface, and after quickly jumping on it he had move like a bullet out the other side of the alley, barely avoiding taking a pedestrian's head off in the process. Looking behind him quickly, he saw that the two policemen had followed his cue and were already on their own rocks, with one of them talking into what Tu assumed was a device that allowed him to call for backup. A high speed chase through the streets of Omashu had begun. He flew over the sidewalks and a small market square at first, but after knocking over a stall of cabbages ("What is it with this city!?" some poor cabbage salesman shouted) and a wagon full of pottery (somehow breaking every single one in half a second), he decided that this wasn't the place to be.

Moving into the automobile driven streets, Tu found he had more room to maneuver as he dodged cars going back and forth. With a bit of concentration he managed to raise his rock above all but the taller cars, but he sacrificed speed in doing so and the officers gained on him. Another officer, whose uniform had some grey about the shoulders and a metallic insignia just under the Omashu police logo on his chest, shot a cable of metal at him. It barely missed, and Tu increased his speed so that the metalbending officer wouldn't get a second chance.

"You better stop!" one of the officers shouted from below. That gave Tu an idea and, after bracing himself, caused his rock to stop almost instantly. The two officers shot on by below him, but they were starting to quickly turn around when a large Satomobile truck came cruising by, hitting the rock of one of the officers and sending him flying. The other officer, after a second of indecision, seemed to go see if his comrade was ok.

Tu decided now would be a good time to disappear, and floated his rock over to a nearby building's wall. It was an older building, so it was crafted out of stone instead of metal. "Good old earth," Tu whispered as he took a step, violently shoved his palms into the wall, and bended a some steps that went up to the mail rail that ran over his head. Stepping off, his gently lowered his rock before sending it flying into a fenced in playground, then ran up the steps. After looking both ways to make sure there wasn't a large package coming, Tu lightly jumped off of his step and onto the mail system pathway. Shoving his palm into the wall again, the steps went back into the wall, not leaving a trace. "That should lose them," he whispered to himself.

To his right the mail rail came sloping from a higher portion of the city, flattening out to where he stood now before splitting into two paths. He saw a door where one of the earthbending mail controllers were, and opened it to go inside.

There he found a woman sitting in a chair, reading. She looked up as she closed the door, surprised at first and then irritated. Her round pale face scrunched up into a scowl, her short done up brown hair bobbing around as she gestured violently while yelling at him. "What are you doing here!? People shouldn't be walking around out there!" she pointed to the door. "Give me one reason I shouldn't call the police on you!"

That brought Tu up short, and, instead of answering her, he ran by her and down the stairs. "Hey!" Part of the wall reached out to grab him, but he managed to block it with part of the stairs before running down the rest of the spiral stairs and out the door, back on the streets. He started to breathe a sigh of relief, but the man he just ran in front of happened to be one of the two officers he had escaped earlier.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said in disbelief as the officer reached out to grab him. He barely managed to escape the grasp, and, finding his rock just inside the playground that just happened to be by the building he had emerged from, he bent it back to him, jumped on it, and was off again. The officer in question again found a rock from somewhere and was after him, and Tu couldn't help but think that his entire detour up and on the mail system was a huge waste of time.

"This just isn't my day," he said irritably, seeing a group of bending officers up ahead of him ready to stop him.

* * *

"With proper breathing, a firebender can both put more flames into his greatest attacks and practice more precision with smaller flames when necessary," Bumi said.

Zhuang nodded, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. After the breathing exercises he was told to repeat some of his movements from earlier, and the difference in how much fire he created astounded him. He couldn't believe something as simple as how he breathed when bending could make such a difference in his potential flames.

Since then, he had learned a few combat stances and was currently working on another when they suddenly heard the glass at the front of their building break violently. When both of them ran out of the main practice area to see what it was, they found Tu struggling to get back up on his feet. His shirt was really scratched up and his was bleeding from a couple of small cuts, but by and large he seemed ok.

"Care to explain how this happened!?" Bumi roared imperiously, taking a couple of threatening steps toward the startled young earthbender.

"Uh," Tu said dumbly, his mind only beginning to catch up to the situation he found himself in.

"Well!?" Bumi took a stance, preparing to incinerate Tu in his anger.

"Wait," Zhuang said, running to stand between his teacher and his friend, but ended up bending over to breathe as he was getting exhausted. "He's a friend of mine," he said between gasps of air.

Bumi relaxed a bit, but still shoved Zhuang out of the way and walked up to Tu. "What happened here?" he asked, not quite as loudly as before.

"I was...," Tu began, took a deep breath, then said, "I was running from the police. I misjudged how fast I was going on my rock and, well..." he gestured to the rock that had crashed through the window. It was currently partly embedded into the wall separating the entryway from the main practice area of the dojo.

Bumi sighed, took a couple of deep breaths, then kicked Tu in the face. The young earthbender flew a couple of feet before landing, holding his nose and generally groaning loudly.

"Is he one of us?" Bumi asked a stunned Zhuang.

"Yeah."

"Then take him to the back room while I deal with the police. They should be here any minute."

Zhuang nodded, then ran to grab Tu. After he grabbed him and carried him to the back room, he put him on the bed. "Are you ok?"

Tu looked at him, then gave him a weak thumbs up before delicately feeling his nose. "I... don't think it's broken," he managed to croak.

"Good," Zhuang said before leaving to rejoin his teacher. When he turned the corner back to the front he saw three police officers there talking to Bumi.

"...vagrant ran off before I could burn him alive!" he heard Bumi shouting.

"Which way did he go?" one of the officers asked.

"He ran off that way," Bumi said, pointing.

The officer nodded, but before they left another one quipped, "Well, at least he only ran into a fire rat's den and not something important." Bumi said nothing, and as Zhuang finally stood beside him the officers left.

Bumi immediately turned and unleashed a massive flame on the rock, and before long nothing remained of it except a small pile of ash. "Your friend is foolish and reckless," he grunted. "The last thing we need at tonight's gathering is a face every police officer in the city will soon be looking for. He will not be able to travel freely in the city anymore."

Zhuang nodded, before looking back to where Tu lay and wonder just how he managed to get himself in trouble with the law on his first full day in Omashu.

"Are you ready for an advanced set now, Zhuang?"

"Of course."

* * *

Fei Yen had walked back to Akkil's apartment with a bag full of new clothes. She was quite pleased with her day's accomplishments, for now she wouldn't have to wear those drab travel clothes her mom had packed for her. Smiling, she prepared to pull out her clothes and ponder what she would wear to tonight's gathering. All in all, she was having a good day.


	8. An Ill Fated Gathering

Author's Note: I noticed this week that was removing my little 'stylish' scene dividers from chapters as I was pasting them in from Google Docs. After a minute of irritation, I decided to go ahead and use FF.N's horizontal breakers as a working replacement. All previous chapters have been updated to include them, and I apologize for any confusion caused by unclear time, place, and/or perspective changes.

* * *

Chapter 07

An Ill Fated Gathering

In the aftermath of Tu's violent, chaotic tour of the city, he had to be smuggled from the dojo back to the basement where he and his friends were led to yesterday. This was accomplished with the help of Souta's wagon, and no one stopped the old man as he drove his ostrich horses toward the shopping district. His wife rode in front with him, and in the (much roomier) interior rode Zhuang, Bumi, and a very sour Tu. His nose was bandaged up, and beneath his lightly colored shirt were several bruises and a few cuts that were also covered in small bandages. He had decided that football was too dangerous a game for a bender like him.

Both Bumi and Souta had taken turns scolding the young earthbender when the ride began, but they both now left him alone to sulk. He sat against the crates in the back. No one said anything for a while, and they arrived to their destination in silence.

There Tu was left. The gathering of the night would take place there, and then in the morning they would leave the city, cutting back west across the mountains and then north to Republic City. Zhuang and Akkil made their way back to the southern warrior's apartment, while Bumi had business to attend to before the arrival of Cheng, which was expected to happen within the hour.

They made ready for the gathering, as did over a hundred other members of the Sons of Earth present within the city. Cheng was expected to make some big announcements, and their plans leading up to the day they openly revolted against the Earth Kingdom would be laid bare.

If any of them had known how the night would unfold, they would have chosen to stay home.

* * *

"So, how do I look?" Fei Yen was dressed in one of the outfits she had bought earlier that day. It was a light green tight fitting tank top with a pattern of lines ranging from dark rich greens to earthy browns, with her pants being the same shade of green with a stripe of brown down her hips and the outer side of her legs, down to where the pants ended at her ankles.

Zhuang took her in. For the second time, he was reminded that in the short year or so he had known her, she had grown a lot. While she still hadn't fully matured physically, she did strike quite a figure in what she was wearing. Or so Zhuang caught himself thinking. "You look pretty good," he responded after a minute.

She actually blushed at the compliment, but before anything more could be said Souta entered the room. "Your mother and I are about to leave for home, sweetie."

"You're not going to the party?" she asked, moving to give her father a hug.

"Nah. I met Cheng an hour ago to deliver all those letters and other information. He told me everything I needed to hear."

"But it's already close to sunset," Zhuang said. "Seems a bit late to hit the road."

"Dao-ming said the same thing, but I need to be getting home. We'll probably be riding through the night."

Fei Yen left the room to say goodbye to her mother. Zhuang and Souta exchanged goodbyes, with Zhuang promising the old man for the fifth time that he'll look after his daughter on their upcoming trip. Before long they were gone, and both Fei Yen and Zhuang were left alone with Akkil. "I need to go and help Cheng with a few things. You two know how to get to there, right?"

They both nodded. Fei Yen was used to navigating city streets, and Zhuang had been there twice already. "It starts in two hours," Akkil informed them. With that, he left, leaving them alone.

"Seems the streets are getting lively," Fei Yen said after looking out the window, noting the increasing number of people out and about. While Omashu was a city that never sleeps, the amount of activity today seemed markedly more than yesterday evening. "I wonder what's going on."

"A festival of some sort?" Zhuang asked. It was around harvest time, but he doubted the city would be celebrating a harvest festival.

"Only one way to find out. Want to check it out?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Sure." They both left Akkil's apartment, locking the door on their way out. They wandered the streets for a while, learning that the only reason there was more activity was simply because it was a Friday evening and most people didn't have work in the morning. Since they were out, Fei Yen offered the last of the money she got from Zhuang for a small dinner, and afterward the two walked around that part of the city for a little while, talking. Before long they made their way to that basement.

It didn't escape the notice of either of them that their evening looked very much like a date. However, neither said anything about it. Zhuang reasoned they were just friends and didn't want to make a big deal of it, while Fei Yen, despite growing up in the city, was a bit shy about such things.

* * *

Beneath the basement, there was an earthbended tunnel that went straight down. A spiral staircase along the circular walls led to a door, and beyond that door was a large room. It was lower than any other known subterranean structure in Omashu, and such depths were illegal under the city's laws. Considering the fact that it served as the main gathering point for the Sons of Earth, breaking that small law was nothing compared to what they were planning. At one corner was a small high stage, and it was largely surrounded by chairs and a few benches. There were a few tables with drinks on them. There were no decorations - only a handful of torches and a few electrical lights hanging from the ceiling.

Zhuang, Tu, and Fei Yen were among the hundred or so gathered. There was much chatter, but everyone settled down as Akkil took the stage. His tall, muscular form seemed even more intimidating from the stage, and his deep voice seemed to echo in the chamber.

"Greetings, brothers and sisters. We have come a long way in the last few years, and are nearing the day we deliver our ultimatum to the Earth Kingdom. Cheng has been all the way from Ba Sing Se to Gaoling to the Foggy Swamp, and he has a lot of news to share." With that, Akkil turned and walked off the stage.

Replacing him on the stage was a lightly tanned, scarred man with reddish brown hair and dark green eyes. He was dressed simply: in a crude brown shirt and matching pants. He wore no shoes. He had a trio of scars crisscrossing his face, a result of brutal treatment from some Earth Soldiers. From this incident and hundreds more like it across the kingdom, discontent emerged that eventually led to the kingdom-wide revolutionary movement he now helped lead. He scanned the crowd, taking in the faces of those present before focusing on the three teenagers from across the mountains for a moment.

He then began. "We have come to it at last, ladies and gentlemen." His voice was soft and deep, and carried a certain authoritative power that helped it carry well across the wide expanse. "As of yesterday, the Earth King himself has heard our demands. He now knows of the treatment his people are enduring at the hands of his military. And he now knows that if this does not stop we will take it upon ourselves to defend our dignity - even if this means no longer accepting the rule of Ba Sing Se as legitimate.

"His response will likely not be to our liking. We have a limited spy network within the walls of Ba Sing Se, but they have told us much of what the king thinks of his people. He has become a demanding tyrant, and we are nothing more than subjects to be controlled and taxed to oblivion. He will take from all of us what we have worked so hard to build.

"Our support now reaches every corner of this kingdom and beyond. From the furthest edges of the Si Wong Desert to within the great walls of Ba Sing Se. Several powerful independent groups of benders from within Republic City have joined us, and we are soon to receive an answer from the Southern Water Tribe as to whether or not they will aid us.

"The time may soon come when we raise up arms against our oppressors! Already we are receiving a shipment of advanced weapons from the Fire Nation! Weapons to give nonbenders a fighting chance against the Earth Army. Weapons that can enhance the bending potential of even the most skilled benders! We may well be able to stand up against the Earth Army on an open battlefield - _and prevail!_"

Cheers echoed through the room, with Zhuang, Tu and Fei Yen among them. As the cheers settled down Cheng continued. "I now have three volunteers to go to Republic City and await word from the Water Tribe. They leave tomorrow, and I plan on sending a couple of the great Kyoshi Warriors to aid them in their travels."

More cheers. Then Cheng prepared to finish his speech. "If the Earth King does not choose to respect our dignity as human beings, then we will declare open war on the Earth Kingdom and gain our independence from the tyranny of Ba Sing Se!"

Then, a loud, harsh voice was heard. The starting cheers turned to sounds of dismay. "Then we are just in time to squash this little traitorous plot!" Doors appeared within the walls surrounding the sitting, earthbended to allow two uniformed men to walk in abreast. There were several of these doors created suddenly from all directions, and in streamed metalbending troops. Spools of metallic cable were unleashed, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye almost half of those present had been captured without a fight.

The rest reacted as quickly as they could, and things quickly turned into a massive battle of the earthbenders. The Sons of Earth group had a few firebenders on their side, but, like the earthbenders, they were limited by both the desire to avoid hurting their allies and causing a 'cave in' from too much destruction of the underground arena in which they fought.

Soon pillars, flying rocks, and other bits of earth were being bended around, and even with all the precautions it seemed like the underground gathering place wouldn't last long. Benders on the Sons of Earth were pairing off and working together to keep from being captured, and a few were already trying to make an escape, with some running up the stairs, some using bending to dig a new way out, and some trying to charge the soldiers to either subdue them or get by them to use their pathways as a makeshift escape route. Some were focused on freeing their captured comrades, trying to give their friends a fighting chance.

However, the metalbending soldiers were working efficiently in rounding up the rebels, and they were capturing people at a much faster rate than were being freed. This, coupled with the chi blockers that were weaving their way through the rebel crowd disabling them, and things were not looking good for the gathered Sons of Earth

In the unfolding chaos Akkil managed to navigate to where the teenage trio were. "Come on!" They followed him, and Akkil ended up having to take out a soldier before getting over to where Cheng is. "Ok, now what?" he asked.

Cheng stomped his foot and caused a pillar to erupt from under the feet of a pair of soldiers about to metalbend more cables into the crowd, pushing it up quickly and smashing them into the ceiling. The pillar came back down with another stomp, leaving the soldiers groaning on the ground, out of the fight. "We've got to get out of here. Firebender, lay down a spray of fire in that direction," Cheng ordered, pointing. Zhuang did so, effectively cutting off their small corner from the rest of the battle - for now. Cheng earthbended a small side door, and together all five of them rushed into a small hallway before Cheng turned around and bended their escape route shut.

"What about the others?" Tu asked.

"There's more than two ways out of here. The Earth Army has seen to it," Cheng responded, before bending another door to the side. "We're all going to use their pathways to our advantage, and those of us that don't get away will be rescued soon enough."

In they ran, ending up running behind two soldiers who were about to rush in. Cheng paused just long enough to bend two blocks out of the wall, hitting them both in the head. He never saw them hit the ground, and pretty soon all five of them were clearly in the makeshift tunnel the Earth Army had made.

"There will probably be more waiting at the surface," Akkil said as they ran.

"I know. Firebender, we're going to need a big fire show when we get to the entrance - wherever it is," Cheng said.

"My name is Zhuang."

"I'll remember it."

They rounded a bend in the path and then stopped, listening. "Not far now," Akkil whispered. The tall man crept forward slowly, and the others followed. The only sound they could hear at the moment was their own heartbeats and the heavy breathing of those around them. Zhuang tried to give a guess as to how far they ran, but he had lost all sense of distance. Running around underground was confusing for him. Tu and Fei Yen did little better.

They crept a little more, then they halted again. "Now, Zhuang," said Cheng. "Everything you've got."

Zhuang took a deep breath as he went into a stance before pushing both hands forward, palms open. A huge gush of flame shot forth from his hands, rushing to the entrance. Soon they heard screams. "Now's our chance!" Cheng shouted.

They ran forth, rushing onto the street. With the soldiers still getting over the surprise of Zhuang's flames, they were able to get through without a fight, but after passing Cheng paused, turned around, and made sure they wouldn't be followed by that small group of soldiers.

On the streets now, Cheng rushed straight south, and the group ended up knocking over a few of the other pedestrians before turning into an alley and catching their breath.

"Well, it seems we've escaped their little trap," Cheng said. "Getting out of the city may prove a bit more difficult." They all took a moment to catch their breath, then went out into the city streets, blending in with the crowd. Zhuang's mind was racing, catching up with the events that had just transpired. Tu's face was already known to the police, and it was likely that they were on the lookout Cheng and Akkil as well.

_By the Avatar, how are all of us to make it out of this together?_ He shook his head, and hoped that Cheng had a plan. As it looked now, it would take a miracle to get them out of Omashu and on their way to Republic City.

* * *

**Review Response:**  
_Jokermask18 said: "This is good but where's Avatar Keung?"_  
In Republic City. 8D ; When I started on this, I wanted to write a story that didn't feature the Avatar as a/the main character. He will naturally become a major character later on as things get more interesting, but for most (if not all) of Book 1 he will play a very minor role.


	9. Escaping Omashu

Chapter 08:

Escaping Omashu

They had found a small cafe to sit at. They were all drinking some tea, their wits now fully about them as they assessed the situation. Cheng and Akkil did most of the talking. Zhuang remained silent.

"Getting out of the city will be difficult for all of us. They have no doubt searched Akkil's apartment. They will be on the lookout for three teenagers from out of town," Cheng was saying.

"Plus I'm already well on their radar," Tu added. "Today's just cursed."

"If we had a waterbender with us things wouldn't be so bleak," Akkil said. "We could hide under the water of the sewers and walk out right under their noses."

Cheng nodded. "But we don't. Earthbending likely won't help us too much now - they likely have foot-eyes keeping a watch on the underground now."

"Foot-eyes?" Fei Yen asked.

Cheng nodded. "They can use their bare feet to 'see' what's going on around them. It allows them to see anything connected to the ground, including what's going on under it. Burrowing our way out isn't an option."

"So what's the plan, boss?" Tu asked, smiling. Fei Yen shot him a look, a little annoyed by the good mood the boy was in.

Cheng didn't answer immediately. After a minute he slowly said, "We're definitely not getting out tonight regardless. They're on too high of an alert. I have a small hideout not far from here that shouldn't be compromised, since only myself and Akkil know about it. We'll stay there for the night and see what this situation looks like under the light of day."

Cheng led the way, and the rest followed with Akkil in the very back. They went their way through the lively city, avoiding the police and army patrols when they saw signs of them. Before long Cheng led them into a rundown apartment building, up a flight of stairs, and into a small room that proved to be very crowded for five. They made the best of it, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Fei Yen and Tu were finishing up breakfast. Zhuang had been sent out to check the nearest gate to see how guarded it was, and Akkil and Cheng had gone to the building's bath to wash themselves.

"Seems like last week I was back in Wuhu working in the field," Tu said as he bit into the last of his eggs. He was reviewing the last few days in his head, from his departure from home to last night's narrow escape.

"Maybe that's because it _was_ last week," Fei Yen said. "This week has been pretty crazy, hasn't it?"

Tu laughed at the understatement. "And to think our adventure has only started," he said. "You were right, though: if we're going to go to Republic City we'll need your help. I almost died yesterday running from the cops."

"What _did_ you do yesterday to get them chasing you around? I heard from Zhuang about what you did to that dojo."

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, thinking about what he'd like to do to those kids if he ever got the chance. "Let's just say there was a misunderstanding in an alley and leave it at that."

Fei Yen smirked. She wasn't one to just let things go like that. "What did you do, get into a fight at a bar or something?" Tu shook his head. "Did you get into a fight on the street then? Beat up a couple of nonbenders?"

"Why does everyone always think I'm beating up nonbenders?" Tu asked, annoyed. "I've only fought a nonbender once in my life, and I didn't bend in that fight at all."

"Then what happened?" Fei Yen asked, ignoring for a moment the other interesting line of conversation their morning could have taken. She would ask about the details of that fight later - from Zhuang, probably.

Tu sighed. "Fine." He told the story about the football game and how things escalated ridiculously from there.

"All of that over a... what was it called again? A football game?" Fei Yen started laughing. "You can't play a peaceful game of anything anywhere, can you?"

"It wasn't my fault," he said, his voice starting to crack a bit. "There was an earthbender in that group that cheated."

"And you just had to cause a small earthquake in response, right? You just can't walk away," she responded, shaking her head in mock sadness. "Poor little Tu: your life will be full of violence and misery." She wiped away an imaginary tear.

Tu would've said something back to that, but Cheng and Akkil opened the door and walked in. "Zhuang back yet?" Cheng asked. They both shook their heads, causing Cheng to sigh. They both sat down, and Tu noticed that Akkil was no long dressed in traditional green robes. He was instead dressed lightly in blue, with blue shorts and a lighter blue shirt with really short sleeves. His incredibly muscular arms were now on full display.

"For now all we can do is wait. Fei, go ahead and get your bath," Cheng said. "It's ladies' hour in the bath house now." Fei Yen nodded and got up to go.

"What about me?" Tu asked.

"If Zhuang isn't back within an hour, you can take your bath then."

"I hope he takes a while, then," Fei Yen said. "You really need one, man."

Tu glared at her, not immediately having a response to that. She merely stuck her tongue out at him before turning around and leaving. Tu shook his head, moved his wooden plate away, and got up. Finding there was no reason for him to get up, he just paced a little before sitting back down.

"Restless?" Akkil asked.

"A little. I don't like just sitting here waiting."

"I would've sent you with Zhuang," Cheng said, "but you just had to make a spectacle of yourself yesterday." Tu fought down an indignant flush at the tone of Cheng's voice, and kept his tongue in check as his first choice of words weren't the most respectful.

So Tu sat there silently, listening to Cheng and Akkil as they discussed their options for getting out of the city. It all depended on what Zhuang reported. Tu hoped it would be good news.

* * *

Zhuang was looking around the western gate, walking around. He was originally keeping a count of the number of guardsmen and soldiers he saw, but after awhile he just gave up. There were many. He thought to check the other gates, but that would take all day. Sighing and moving through the growing crowd, he decided to wait and see if they would announce anything. Finding a bench to sit on beneath the shade of the mail system, he watched the guards and citizens go about their business.

Time crept slowly, and Zhuang decided to take a more active approach. Waiting for a nearby guard to walk by, he got her attention with an "excuse me, ma'am."

She stopped to look at him, her dark eyes looking him over in mild suspicion. "Can I help you?"

"Can you please tell me why there are so many guards and soldiers around today?"

She sighed as if she's been asked that a hundred times already. "You people really need to pay attention to the Tongscreen. We busted a nest of rebels last night and are tightening security at every gate while we round up the rest of the rats."

"Thank you," he said, then got up. At the word 'Tongscreen' he got an idea, and after the armored guard walked off he made his way north eastward. It took half an hour, and he was stopped and questioned by a policeman briefly, but he made it and watched the Tongscreen.

After a few minutes he got the idea. It was repeating text about last night's raid, how security would be tighter "for safety," and that they will be actively stopping "suspicious persons" and outsiders. They were also flashing faces of top level members of the Sons of Earth known to still be loose within Omashu, and among the six faces that repeated was Cheng's.

Watching for another minute or so to make sure he didn't miss anything, he turned around and started heading back to Cheng's little hideout. Their situation was as bad as Cheng had suspected. Getting out of Omashu would be challenging indeed.

* * *

Tu groaned. Zhuang didn't bring good news at all. "It seems like making our escape below ground is our only option," Akkil said to Cheng. "We'll just have to take our chances with the foot-eye guys." Cheng merely nodded, not liking being in a situation like that at all. He got the three teenagers' attention with a snap of his finger.

"You two are earthbenders, right?"

"Yep," Tu responded, with Fei Yen nodding.

"Good. With three earthbenders, we'll be able to move fast. Here's what we're going to do: I'm going to earthbend a path underground and out of the city - we should end up pretty close to the western road outside of the city. You two," he continued, pointing to Fei Yen and Tu, "will close up the path behind us. The smaller we can keep our moving cave, the less likely we are to be spotted. We'll also have to move quick. Do you think you can pull it off, Tu and Fei?"

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Tu said. "When do we do it?"

"Tonight, just after sundown. In the meantime, we'll need to eat. Fei, there's a restaurant not far from here. Since Zhuang looks like he just came out of the Fire Nation, it's possible they won't serve him."

"Fine," Fei Yen said. After getting the money for five of this restaurant's cheapest meals, Fei Yen ran off to go get the food.

"You two go clean yourselves up," Cheng said. The boys went off to take a bath. Sighing, Cheng laid down on his little sleeping bag, thinking about the plans for tonight. Thinking about the many ways things could go wrong.

"I still don't understand why you don't wear shoes," Akkil said. "Those two earthbending kids wear shoes, even if they seem too thin. I swear I'll never understand this country."

"Earthbenders who wear shoes prefer thin soled ones, Akkil. The less separation between them and the ground, the more effectively they can bend. Those two kids will likely go barefoot once they get proper training. I plan on getting all three of those kids some real bending training while we're waiting in Republic City."

Akkil said nothing to that. "Tonight is do or die, isn't it?" He chuckled grimly. This wasn't his first time in dire straights, though it would be the first time he's ever had to fully rely on someone else. He knew he would be completely useless down there - at least the firebender would give them a little light.

"Yeah. Making it outside will be half the battle, though. Even without foot-eyes to worry about, we have to keep in mind that they will be watching the road. Once we get out of the ground there's still the great road out of the city we'll have to cross. We can't safely earthbend under that, given how its built. We'll have to move fast."

* * *

The sun was setting. The team had been in the small apartment room for most of the day, talking a bit of this or that. The three earthbenders spent some time going over the route they were going to take, even though Tu and Fei Yen were just going to be closing the path behind them. Zhuang asked Akkil several questions about Water Tribe culture, genuinely curious. There was no SV (Satovision), so Tu complained about not being able to watch that show about the past Avatars, though Fei Yen felt nothing but relief over that.

Now that the time approached, though, the room was mostly silent. They could hear the sounds of the city drifting in through the walls and the one small window. Finally, Cheng got up. "Let's get this over with." They left the room, went down the stairs, and were soon outside. Cheng didn't bother to hide his face, since in the half light of the street lamps his features couldn't be easily made out. Akkil was the bigger concern of being recognized, but most of the people on the sidewalks didn't pay them much attention. Finally Cheng led them into a fenced in yard.

It began, with them going mostly down at first. The tunnel was thin, and Akkil found himself having to crouch. Zhuang created a small flame in his hands to give everyone some light, and Cheng, Tu, and Fei Yen were soon concentrating on bending. At first Cheng was opening up the path faster than the two teenage earthbenders could close it, but soon matched their pace so they wouldn't fall too far behind. More than speed, keeping their tunnel as small as possible would help them avoid detection from those utilizing the seismic sense.

They didn't talk for a while. The three earthbenders were concentrating on their task, Zhuang's mind was elsewhere, and Akkil was a little uncomfortable being underground in such a confined moving space. "Can you make it a little taller, Cheng?" he finally asked.

Cheng didn't say anything, but half a minute later the tall Water Tribe warrior was able to walk upright, easing some of his tension. For another while the silence pervaded, then something occurred to Zhuang.

"What about the Kyoshi Warrior we were supposed to meet this morning?"

Cheng grunted. "She's probably well on her way back to Kyoshi Island. I told her not to delay too long on our account, and she probably has some idea of what's happened to us by now.

"Besides," he continued after a moment's thought, "we really won't be needing her for the trip to Republic City. Akkil and I will accompany you."

After a while Cheng called for a halt. They all sat down and ate a quick meal. "We're almost there," Cheng was saying, "and once we get there we will have to make a run for it. They will be watching the road and the area around the outer wall closely. Once they see us come up, they will pursue."

"How do you know? I've lost all sense of direction down here," Zhuang said.

"Years ago Bumi and I measured it out. It took several trips, but I did just in case something like this were to happen. I've measured the distance to all four of the city's main gates from where we started."

Zhuang thought about Bumi and his brief time under his tutelage. He would have had a little trouble holding this single flame in his hand for this long before, but now he could do it with little focus. He flexed his hand a bit, making the flame grow a little before bringing it back down in size.

"Alright, we've sat here long enough," Akkil said, getting up. Cheng agreed, and, getting up, they started on the last leg of their little underground journey.

In half an hour they were starting to feel Cheng's path go uphill. They all tensed up, ready to charge, and soon Cheng stopped. Fresh air could be felt on their faces, letting them know their time underground was at an end.

"Zhuang, put out your light," Cheng ordered. The flame disappeared, and, after a moment, Cheng opened the entrance up the rest of the way with a quick stomp and out they rushed - only to find themselves surrounded by a dozen Earth Army soldiers.

"I figured things were going too smoothly," Tu whispered to Fei Yen. She elbowed him to shut him up.

One soldier took a step forward, looking carefully over Cheng's face. "So, the ringleader tries to make his escape." He guys quickly darted over the other detainees. "So you have a fire rat and a water mouse with you, huh?" His voice dripped with contempt. Akkil tensed, ready to attack the man on any signal from Cheng.

Zhuang, for his part, was doing a quick check over the soldiers. All of them were benders, and he had to assume one of them was the one that sensed them on their way up. At the very least, none of them seemed to be carrying a cable of metal. One blessing, at least.

Cheng quickly realized the same thing. "You should know what I'm capable of," he said.

"Oh, we do, Cheng," the soldier responded. "But we're not afraid of you. I would say surrender, but you're one of those who are willing to die for this cause, aren't you?" Cheng nodded, once. Then, before anyone could blink, he stomped his foot hard on the ground, trying to create a large pillar under each soldier and send them flying into the sky. However, things didn't quite work out that way. Two of the soldiers were sent flying, but the rest either dodged or bended their way out of trouble and started their counterattack.

Cheng and Tu were already summoning large chunks of earth to throw at the enemy, while Fei Yen moved her way between them and tried deflecting attacks by trying to take control of whatever the enemy was throwing at them. Zhuang was quickly throwing out small bits of flame with his fists and feet, jumping around with what limited advanced moves he now knew. Akkil, using the benders as cover, charged in and took out a soldier with his bare hands. He cursed not having the chance to go get his weapons.

Tu and Zhuang made a good team, while Cheng was a force to be reckoned with on his own. The scarred man had just crushed three soldiers between two large bits of dirt and rock before turning around to see the two teenage boys tag team another. The poor man didn't stand a chance, having to block Zhuang's constant fire before having the ground under him start sliding down the mountainside, courtesy of Tu. Fei Yen had gone on to help Akkil. Surprisingly, none of them had sustained serious injury, and before long the guards were taken care of.

Then they started running across the great bridge. Tu stopped to bend a particularly large rock out of the ground. "Everyone on this!" he shouted, jumping on. Cheng and the rest jumped on. "Now help me get this going. Zhuang, get ready to speed us along," he said. Cheng figured out where this was going really quickly, and, after he and Fei Yen made sure they were situated an equal distance from Tu, the three earthbenders worked together to send the rock onward. After a moment Zhuang took a stance, put his arms out behind him, and started bending a steady stream of flame out of both of his hands.

The rock sped onward, and flew over the checkpoint the army had set up on the far side of the road before rounding a bend and flying off a ledge. They had escaped the city of Omashu, and were now loose in the mountains, heading northward.

To Republic City.


	10. A Chance Encounter

Chapter 09

A Chance Encounter

They sped their way under the half moon for several hours. Thanks to the added speed provided by Zhuang's firebending, they made good time, and were soon deep into the uncharted wilds of the mountains. After a while they finally stopped to make camp. Due to their inability to pack heavily, they didn't have the supplies to set up a proper camp. All they had were a couple of sleeping mats, which were given to Zhuang and Akkil. The earthbenders created their soft beds from the ground, and after a quick bite from their limited food supplies they settled down. Zhuang once again stayed up for first watch, but there was little need. With no fire lit and a large distance of rocky, mountainous terrain between them and Omashu, there was little chance of being found.

They rose with the sun on the following morning. While the rest of them were busy packing up their meager supplies, Fei Yen spent some time looking back south toward Omashu. "I'm sure your parents made it out of the city ok," Zhuang said, walking up to stand by her. She merely nodded weakly, still clearly worried. "Cheng said he's going to try and sent a message down that way when we get to Republic City."

"It's going to be a while before any messenger gets to Gumi and back, Zhuang. We won't know if they're ok for a while. And with the Earth Army there now and..." Fei Yen didn't finish. Zhuang put his arm around her for a moment. Then Cheng announced it was time to go. They rocketed off again, completely west this time to reach the flat lands near the coast.

"We'll make better time once we get out of these mountains," Cheng said as they were rushing uphill. Everyone seemed to hope so. The more distance they could put between them and Omashu, the more relieved all of them would feel.

* * *

Several days had passed since their escape. They were now clear of the mountains, traveling northward by foot since all the benders were in varying stages of exhaustion from their consistent efforts over the last few days. It was raining, so they were taking shelter under a thick group of trees, staying warm as best they could with a fire Zhuang had lit after Akkil had gone out to collect firewood. The Water Tribe warrior was gone now, hunting for food while the others rested. Without his weapons, hunting would be difficult, but with a small knife borrowed from Cheng and years of experience he'd figure it out.

"It will still take us several days to get to Republic City," Cheng said, answering Tu's question.

"How long will we be there?" Tu asked.

"Depends. I expect to be there at least two weeks now given what's happened in Omashu," Cheng said. "They've really hit us hard there, and that was more or less our center of operations for most of the southern Earth Kingdom. Beyond that, it really depends on how long it takes to get an answer from the Water Tribe. I may send you back with someone else depending on how much of a blow our loss in Omashu really was."

"Do you really think it will take that long for you to get everything back together?" Akkil asked, throwing down a couple of turkey ducks. Everyone frowned a bit at the sight of the birds, but didn't say anything in complaint. They would have to eat what they could get until they got to a village.

"I don't know," Cheng replied. "It will certainly take a while. At the very least the other two nerve centers of our movement will make moves on their own in retaliation. I just hope they don't do anything too bold."

"I see," Akkil said, setting the birds down and getting ready to prepare them for cooking.

"Do you think word has gotten far about this?" Zhuang asked.

"Oh, very," Cheng said, thinking. "It's probably been broadcast on every Shovision and Tongscreen in Ba Sing Se. They've probably heard about it in Republic City by now, and news will travel by newspaper and other means throughout the rest of the Earth Kingdom within a week or so. There's probably a rumor going around that I'm dead or captured."

"What would happen if you were captured or... er, dead?" Tu asked.

"Someone else would fill my role after a while. Keep in mind we're a loose coalition, not a tightly run organization. What happens with our people in Republic City, Ba Sing Se, and other northern hot spots is more or less completely out of my hands. Everyone who joins the Sons of Earth does so out of a desire for freedom, and they do as they need when they need to."

Cheng sighed. "About the only thing we'll do as a single organization is declare our war soon and amass some miles southwest of Ba Sing Se. If they choose to deny us, we'll have to attack the city."

There was a startled laugh. "Attack Ba Sing Se? Are you crazy?" Fei Yen asked. "The walls of that city are impenetrable. Even during the Hundred Year War the only way the city would fall was from the inside."

"Oh, I'm aware," Cheng responded. "We already have people on the inside. When the time is right, they will cause their fair share of damage, dividing the attention of the army. I know it's a longshot, but with the help of the Southern Water Tribe we do have a chance."

"Zhuang, could you get a fire going?" Akkil asked suddenly as he set down his last defeathered turkey duck. The fire had died during their conversation. "I'm about finished over here."

"Sure," the firebender said, moving to grab some of the firewood he had gathered earlier.

They spent a little more time discussing matters as the food cooked, and as they ate the rain stopped, so after eating they pressed on, walking for the rest of the day.

* * *

That night they had a roaring fire going. They were in a small clearing in the forest, many miles from any nearby settlement. The likelihood of any patrol finding them way out here was nonexistent, so Cheng was uncharacteristically throwing caution to the wind. With the night cold and wet from the day's rain (and the slow oncoming of winter) and them in one of the remotest parts of the western Earth Kingdom, the war seemed a distant concern.

They were all sitting on logs around the fire, each holding a stick with a small bit of turkey duck meat that were leftover from lunch, slowly cooking their morsels to perfection as they talked of this and that. It was a relaxing evening.

"So how did you two meet, anyway?" Fei Yen asked Akkil.

Akkil thought for a moment, but it was Cheng that started the answer. "I was a wandering spirit when I was younger, and I was making it a mission of sorts to see the world." He sighed. "I was traveling south, having spent a few days at the Southern Air Temple before taking a boat to a small Water Tribe village. It was there I met Akkil."

"He didn't have his scars, then," Akkil said, taking up the story. "I was about to take my nephews out on a hunting trip, and this foreigner asked if he could come along." After a small laugh, he continued, "I almost whopped him in the head with my boomerang. It was a ridiculous request. But he persisted. Somehow, he talked me into delaying the trip so he could learn how to use my people's hunting gear." Cheng laughed, apparently remembering well what Akkil was about to tell next.

"He fumbled with our spears for days, and I thought he would never learn how to use the jaw blade properly," he said, chuckling a little.

"To be fair, the weapon I had ever handled before then was a Jian sword, and even then I wasn't really trained," Cheng said. "I did master their hunting gear eventually, and I ultimately killed an arctic hippo for them."

Akkil nodded. "We spent a lot of time together after that, but he ultimate wanted to leave and head east, visiting the Air Temple in that direction. Eventually I decided to go with him, and that was that."

"How long ago was this?" Tu asked.

They looked at each other a minute, thinking. "Twelve years now?" Cheng asked Akkil.

"Something like that," the tall dark man responded.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. It was about a year after our little misadventure in that Air Temple that trouble started coming from the northern Earth Kingdom," Cheng said, satisfied that he had his personal timeline right. "I settled in Omashu and slowly the Sons of-"

"Greetings, strangers," a voice called. "May I come into the light and share your fire?"

They all tensed, looking in the direction the voice came from. "You may, stranger. Slowly," Cheng called.

Slowly the stranger came into the light, and they all immediately relaxed. He was wearing the orange and yellow robes of a monk, and the arrow tattoos on his head and hands revealed him to be an airbender. The staff he was absentmindedly twirling around was another clue. "Greetings," he said, bowing slightly to each of them. "I am Palden." He looked to be only a few years older than Zhuang and Tu, meaning he was likely in his early twenties.

Cheng introduced everyone, though he used a false name for himself. "...and I'm Haneul."

"I am pleased to meet all of you," Palden responded. He sat himself down on the ground, then reached into his robe and got out a small apple.

"Would you like some of this?" Akkil asked, carefully tearing off a small piece of his cooked meat to hand to the airbender.

"I don't eat meat," he responded. Akkil seemed a little put off by this, but then decided to eat the meat himself. Everyone was momentarily busy with their small meals, and for a while they were silent.

Tu was beginning to find the silence uncomfortable, and decided to try talking to the airbender. "So... what brings you around here?"

Taking a bite out of his apple, Palden chewed it for half a minute before swallowing. "I'm going to Republic City."

"Where are you coming from?" Tu persisted.

"The Southern Air Temple." Sensing more questions, Palden just decided to tell his story. "I was spending some time there to help the new Air Acolytes settle in, and I spent a month there with a friend I wasn't expecting to be there. I'm now on my way back to Republic City to help a couple of young benders earn their arrows."

While it wasn't as long as Tu wanted, that brief account of recent history regarding Palden's life did answer all the questions Tu could think of off hand. Fei Yen, however, had question. "'Earn their arrows?' What does that mean?"

Palden, after taking another bite of his apple, proceed to tell about the significance of the arrows airbenders had, how young benders could earn them, and started moving on to a general explanation of the lifestyle of his people. Questions arose regarding where Air Acolytes fit into the monk order, and before they knew it the fire was getting low.

Zhuang got up to get some more firewood, leaving the others to continue talking to the monk.

"So, about these Air Acolytes... can just anyone join the order?" Tu asked.

Palden thought a moment. "Well, yes. Anyone who has the desire to can choose to become part of the order. Head Monk Rohan, before he passed, altered them somewhat. While no one is forced to stay once they choose to seek the spiritual lifestyle, Rohan created a sort of 'temporary' measure, during which time if someone decides the lifestyle is not to their liking they can leave easily and trouble free. Most non-airbending monks on Air Temple Island are new and still in their 'trial.' After that passes most are moved to one of our four traditional temples."

"Could I join? Is it ok for benders of other elements to become an Air Nomad?"

"It's... possible, although it rarely happens."

"Why do you move the monks?" Akkil asked.

"For more seclusion. It's something else Rohan decided, to help them better seek enlightenment and to help our people resettle our traditional lands. Some then choose to wander the world afterward, much like my people did long ago." Palden bowed his head slightly.

They gave him a moment of silence. Nobody wanted to just immediately move on to another topic now that Palden was thinking of the genocide his people had suffered only a few generations ago. During this Zhuang came back with more firewood, placed a couple of logs onto their dying fire, and gave it a boost with his bending.

Palden looked up when Zhuang did that. "It's getting late," the firebender said. Everyone else seemed to look around then, as if only just now noticing. They began to settle down for the night when Akkil asked Palden when he was going to call his sky bison.

Palden sighed. "She died a couple of years ago."

Everyone shared their condolences, which Palden accepted gratefully. With that everyone settled in for the night, whether through earthbended bedding, a sleeping bag, or, in the case of the airbender, removing parts of his robes and using them as a makeshift pillow. Zhuang had first watch again, but there seemed to be no need. Neither man nor beast disturbed the travelers again that night.


	11. Temporary Hiatus Announcement

For the time being, I can't work on this story enough to be able to keep up with my weekly updates. In fact, I won't be able to write in here at all for the next little while.

So this story is being put on hiatus. I plan to have it up and running again sometime next month. To those of you who have become interested in where this story is going: I'm sorry, but you're now going to have to wait a bit longer than I hoped. Don't worry, though: I will be back. :)


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